$ pkeygen --version rnp 0.17.0 Create a file called key-config.json :
In this post, we’ll dive into what pkeygen is, how it differs from traditional methods, and why you might want to add it to your crypto toolkit. Unlike the interactive wizards of GnuPG, pkeygen is designed to be non-interactive and data-driven . It reads a simple JSON configuration file (or string) and outputs a binary or armored OpenPGP keyring. pkeygen
pkeygen --config key-config.json --output public-key.gpg --public You’ll get a binary OpenPGP keyring. Convert it to ASCII armor if needed: $ pkeygen --version rnp 0
When most people think about creating PGP keys, they immediately type gpg --full-generate-key . It’s the standard. But what if I told you there’s a leaner, more scriptable, and arguably more transparent way to generate the same keys? pkeygen --config key-config
%echo Generating a default key Key-Type: RSA Key-Length: 3072 Subkey-Type: RSA Subkey-Length: 3072 Name-Real: Joe Tester Name-Comment: Automation Name-Email: joe@example.com Expire-Date: 0 %commit
It is part of the suite (which also includes rnpgpg , rnpkeys , and rpki ). RNP aims to be a high-performance, easy-to-integrate OpenPGP library used by projects like Mozilla Thunderbird and ProtonMail Bridge .
The JSON interface is modern, the output is predictable, and the learning curve is shallow. Next time you find yourself writing a bash script to feed gpg --batch with a heredoc full of magic strings, stop. Reach for pkeygen .