What is the difference between a cer, pvk, and pfx file? Also, which files do I keep and which am I expected to give to my counter-parties?
This question is related to
security
public-key
Here are my personal, super-condensed notes, as far as this subject pertains to me currently, for anyone who's interested:
I actually came across something like this not too long ago... check it out over on msdn (see the first answer)
in summary:
.cer - certificate stored in the X.509 standard format. This certificate contains information about the certificate's owner... along with public and private keys.
.pvk - files are used to store private keys for code signing. You can also create a certificate based on .pvk private key file.
.pfx - stands for personal exchange format. It is used to exchange public and private objects in a single file. A pfx file can be created from .cer file. Can also be used to create a Software Publisher Certificate.
I summarized the info from the page based on the suggestion from the comments.
In Windows platform, these file types are used for certificate information. Normally used for SSL certificate and Public Key Infrastructure (X.509).
for more information visit:Certificate Files: .Cer x .Pvk x .Pfx
Source: Stackoverflow.com