A CSR (Certificate Signing Request) is a small block of encoded text you give the Certificate Authority when you order an SSL/TLS certificate. It contains your public key and the details to be included in the certificate - most importantly the domain name (the "Common Name"). Generating a CSR also creates a matching private key, which stays on your server and is never shared with anyone.
What a CSR contains
- Common Name (CN) - the exact domain to secure, e.g.
www.yourdomain.in(or*.yourdomain.infor a wildcard). - Organisation, City, State, Country - required for OV and EV certificates; optional for DV.
- Public key - the CA signs this; the matching private key stays with you.
Generate a CSR with OpenSSL (Linux / macOS)
Run this on your server - it creates the private key and the CSR in one step:
openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout yourdomain.key -out yourdomain.csr
You'll be prompted for the details above. Keep yourdomain.key safe and private - you need it to install the certificate, and it can never be re-downloaded. Open yourdomain.csr in a text editor and paste the whole block (including the BEGIN/END lines) when you place your order.
Generate a CSR from a control panel
Most hosting panels can generate a CSR for you without the command line:
- cPanel: Security → SSL/TLS → Generate a Certificate Signing Request (CSR).
- Plesk: Websites & Domains → SSL/TLS Certificates → Add SSL/TLS Certificate.
- Windows/IIS: Server Certificates → Create Certificate Request.
The panel stores the private key for you and shows the CSR to copy.
Key points
- Use a 2048-bit RSA key or higher - it's the modern minimum.
- The Common Name must match the domain exactly, or validation will fail.
- Your private key never leaves your server and is never in the certificate or the download kit.
Once you have your CSR, you're ready to order. With SSLStore.in, provisioning is automated - we place the order, guide domain validation, and sync issuance. See how to install your certificate once it's issued.
Prefer not to use the command line? Generate a key and CSR in your browser with our CSR Generator, or paste an existing one into the CSR Decoder to check it.