SAMPLE EC P-256 Private Key — PKCS#8
The P-256 key behind the EC leaf certificate, in PKCS#8. Its scalar is derived deterministically from a fixed label so the whole wave reproduces byte for byte.
-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
MIGHAgEAMBMGByqGSM49AgEGCCqGSM49AwEHBG0wawIBAQQgQ1ByLf2W6S9TEyi+
Ag7ekwlsqU/2yDI7wl17YhMIjEmhRANCAARb4NG2QPPgp8OBSTx4PTF1v5StGuX9
yKJJbAnTu5fsifSBPuZmi0+Mjf1008LkdgBI3rhDSkk8BqhhqoZkJYvh
-----END PRIVATE KEY-----
Specifications
- Algorithm
- EC
- Curve
- P-256 (prime256v1)
- Container
- PKCS#8
- Armour
- BEGIN PRIVATE KEY
- Encrypted
- false
- Derivation
- SHA-256 of a fixed label, reduced into the group order
- Sample Only
- true
- Seed
- 70117
Testing contract
Expected to pass- Scenario
- Load the key and check that its public point matches the EC leaf certificate.
- Expected result
- The key parses as prime256v1 and its public point equals the EC leaf's SubjectPublicKeyInfo.
What is a .key file?
A .key file holds a private key, usually PEM-encoded in PKCS#8 (BEGIN PRIVATE KEY) or a key-type-specific format. It is the secret half of a TLS or SSH identity and must normally be protected — the examples here are published, sample-only keys that must never be used in production.
How to use this file
Use an example .key to test PEM key parsers, PKCS#8 decoders, and key-format converters (for example PEM to DER or OpenSSH). These are deliberately published sample keys — for parser testing only, never for real use.
How to use this file for testing
“SAMPLE EC P-256 Private Key — PKCS#8” is a deterministic Novus Examples fixture for Certificate & key testing. Self-signed X.509 certificates (PEM, CRT, DER), a CSR, RSA and Ed25519 keys, an SSH public key, a PKCS#12 bundle, and an htpasswd file — all published sample-only material, for testing certificate parsers, TLS tooling, keystore importers, and PEM/DER decoders.
Documented properties for this file: seed 70117 · EC. Compare results against paired or grouped companions on this page when present (clean↔damaged, searchable↔scanned, or format twins) so scores stay reproducible across runs.
Download the file once, keep the path stable in CI or local scripts, and treat the spec table as the contract: dimensions, seeds, field lists, and roles are intentional. Corrupt or invalid samples are labelled as such — expect parsers to fail loudly rather than silently accept them.
This is published, SAMPLE-only security material — never a real secret. Point certificate, key, or token parsers at it, test PEM/DER decoding and PKCS handling, and confirm your tooling reads the documented fields; any sample password is printed on this page.
This is a published, sample-only certificate/key. Parse it, verify the chain or signature, and test PEM↔DER conversion — never deploy it anywhere real.
Related files
- jsonCRL Metadata JSON — SAMPLESAMPLE CRL metadata JSON (no binary CRL) for revocation-list UI and loader tests.
- keyEd25519 Private Key (PEM) — SAMPLEDeterministic SAMPLE Ed25519 private key for SSH/TLS tooling tests.
- keyEncrypted PKCS#8 RSA Key — SAMPLEPassword-encrypted SAMPLE PKCS#8 private key (password printed in specs) for decrypt-import tests.
- csrPKCS#10 CSR — Security SAMPLEPKCS#10 certificate signing request SAMPLE for CSR parsers and CA tooling smoke tests.
- p12PKCS#12 Bundle (.p12) — SAMPLESAMPLE PKCS#12 keystore (password `novus-sample-wg`) for keystore importer tests. Not byte-stable.
- keyRSA-2048 Private Key (PEM) — SAMPLEPublished SAMPLE RSA-2048 private key (PKCS#8 PEM). Never use for a real identity.
Generated by generation/security_p7.py. Free for any use, no attribution required — license.