Manual Certificate Authority Management
Manual Certificate Authority (CA) management involves the manual creation, distribution, renewal, and revocation of digital certificates and keys without automated tools or centralized systems. It is a foundational security practice for establishing trust in encrypted communications, such as HTTPS, VPNs, and email. This process typically includes generating root and intermediate certificates, signing end-entity certificates, and maintaining certificate revocation lists (CRLs).
Developers should learn manual CA management when working in environments that require custom or self-signed certificates, such as internal networks, development/testing setups, or legacy systems without automated PKI solutions. It is essential for understanding the underlying principles of public key infrastructure (PKI), troubleshooting certificate-related issues, and ensuring secure communications in scenarios where commercial CAs are not feasible or cost-effective.