How to create certificate using OpenSSL from powershell without user prompt for passphrase?

Question

I'm setting up a development VDI, and need to automate creations of some certificates for accessing https://{foo}.local (127.0.0.1) websites duing dev and testing.

I'm only allowed to use OpenSSL and powershell and it must be unnattended, need to run this to automate setting up a developer VDI, so cannot have any user prompts.

I found lots of code with the following type of example but cant find a way to pass in the passphrase to use;

this is what I have so far...

openssl 
   req -x509 -newkey rsa:4096 -keyout 
   openssl.key -out openssl.crt -subj /CN=website.name 
   -days 300

this would then be followed by creating the actual certificate

openssl pck12 -export .... etc

As mentioned, I need to be able to provide a passphrase so that the above runs without any user intervention. The above code runs as expected, just ...kicks up the prompt for passphrase.

i've tried various -passin {xyz} even -password pass:mysecret et al settings, to no avail.

Any ideas? Txs, A

Answer 1

Add the parameter -nodes to your openssl command.

openssl 
   req -x509 -newkey rsa:4096 -nodes -keyout 
   openssl.key -out openssl.crt -subj /CN=website.name 
   -days 300

This will skip the encryption of the private key. You will not be prompted for a passphrase.