ASN.1 CSR & Certificate Decoder - Free Online Parser
An ASN.1 CSR (Abstract Syntax Notation One Certificate Signing Request) decoder is a tool that parses and displays the contents of a CSR file in a human-readable format. Our tool can decode any valid DER or BER structure and supports Base64 inputs (raw, PEM, and begin-base64) as well as hex-encoded data.
Please Note: Encryption Consulting LLC does not possess, store, or retain any data entered into this decoder. All inputs, including PEM certificates, Base64-encoded DER, or hex strings, are used solely for decoding purposes and are not saved.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about decoding your CSR files. Can't find the answer you're looking for? Send us an email
Decoding ASN.1 data has never been easier. Open the ASN.1 Decoder tool and follow three straightforward steps.
- Paste or Upload Your CSR File Paste, upload, or drag and drop the CSR file into our tool. You can provide a PEM certificate, Base64-encoded DER, or a hex string, or upload
.cer,.crt,.pem, or.derfiles. - Adjust View and Parsing Options Refine the output by trimming long hex values for better readability, enabling the hex dump view to inspect raw bytes, and aligning the decoded structure with RFC-defined formats to better understand each field.
- View the Decoded Structure Once processed, the tool displays a complete, hierarchical ASN.1 tree. You can explore all elements, including subject details, public key information, and other embedded components in a clear, structured format.
To generate a CSR, you can use our CSR Generator Tool. This utility simplifies the entire process of creating a CSR while ensuring compliance with relevant standards.
Every field in the decoded tree shows three key properties when you hover over the field:
- Offset Offset is the byte position where that field starts in the binary data. For example,
Offset: 772means the field begins at byte 772 from the start of the file. - Length Length is displayed in the format
4 + 751 (constructed), where the first number is the size of the length and tag encoded, the second is the content size, andconstructedmeans the field is a container holding nested fields rather than a raw value. - Value Value is the decoded content of that field, such as an OID like
sha256WithRSAEncryption, a text string likeCN=example.com, or a raw hex sequence.
RFC/Structure Match is a schema or blueprint that tells the decoder how to label the raw binary fields in your file. The actual bytes never change; only the interpretation does.
When RFC/Structure Match is enabled, the decoder enforces the exact field names, nesting order, and hierarchy defined in the RFC. For instance, under RFC 5280, the validity block must contain exactly notBefore and notAfter in that order, and the subject must be a SEQUENCE OF RDNs (Relative Distinguished Name). This makes the decoded tree precisely match the official specification, which is useful for debugging malformed certificates or validating strict compliance.
The percentage shows how well your data matches a known schema. The decoder runs your binary data against all known ASN.1 schemas and scores based on the fields present. The percentage is calculated as:
(successfully matched fields / total expected fields in schema) × 100
For instance, an X.509 Certificate schema expects fields like tbsCertificate, serialNumber, issuer, validity, subject, subjectPublicKeyInfo, and signatureAlgorithm. If your DER-encoded input matches 18 out of 23 expected fields, the score is approximately 78% X.509 Certificate. Required fields that are missing penalize the score more than optional ones.
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