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OpenCA PKI

openca.org

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Spec score 8.4 #5 of 26 in Public Key Infrastructure Software

What it is

OpenCA PKI is free, open-source software for establishing and managing a public key infrastructure, with an out-of-the-box Certification Authority. It is intended for on-premises deployment and is listed for Linux, macOS, self-hosted, and web environments. The project says it implements commonly used protocols with full-strength cryptography; listed capabilities include SCEP support, HSM integration, and certificate profiles. The download page lists OpenCA PKI (SpecialK) version 1.5.1. Installation requires other software, including OpenLDAP, OpenSSL, Apache, and Apache mod_ssl, and OpenCA Tools version 1.3.0 is listed as a prerequisite to install first. The project dates to 1998 and describes its work as volunteer-driven and managed through collaboration and consensus. Community support is available through mailing lists, forums, and online chat; independent third parties offer paid support. Security concerns can be reported privately by email or publicly through the project issue trackers. The documentation page says downloadable documentation is unavailable and notes that the OpenCA Guide for version 0.9.2 is outdated in some parts.

Spec sheet

What it does
OpenCA PKI is open-source software for setting up and administering certification authorities and public-key infrastructures.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Purpose
OpenCA PKI is an open source, out-of-the-box Certification Authority for setting up and managing a PKI.Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Platforms
Version 1.5.1 download links are provided for Linux, Solaris, and MacOS X.Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Integrations
Official dependencies and integrations include OpenLDAP, OpenSSL, Apache HTTP Server and Apache mod_ssl.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Support
The project describes community support through mailing lists, forums, and online chat, and mentions paid support from independent third parties.Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org
License
The OpenCA source license is an Apache-style permissive license with attribution and trademark conditions.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Founded
1998Read 28 Sep 2026 · openca.org
Access control
The system documents channel verification, login, session management and ACL configuration.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Automatic revocation
The 1.5.0 changelog records an auto-revocation daemon and automatic CRL processing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
CA management
The software provides a complete certification-authority management solution.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Certificate requests
Users can submit PKCS#10 certificate-signing requests through the web interface or SCEP.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Certificate revocation
The user and administrator workflows include certificate revocation and CRL handling.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Current listed release
The download page lists OpenCA PKI (SpecialK) version 1.5.1.Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Database support
The guide documents PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle and DBM database back ends.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Dependencies
The project names OpenLDAP, OpenSSL, Apache, and Apache mod_ssl among the required software.Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Developer API
The related LibPKI project offers a high-level cryptographic API for applications handling keys, certificates and other PKI data.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Distributed design
The architecture separates CA, RA, LDAP and public interfaces into nodes suitable for hierarchical deployments.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Documentation depth
The guide spans design, installation, configuration, user workflows and a technology guide, but the documentation page warns that much of it is outdated.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Documentation limitation
The project says no current downloadable documentation is available and directs users to package contents and mailing lists.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Documentation limits
The documentation page says downloadable documentation is unavailable and that the OpenCA Guide for version 0.9.2 is outdated in some parts.Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Download versions
The official download page lists OpenCA PKI 1.5.1 and separate packages for OpenCA Tools, LibPKI, OCSPD and PRQP Server.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Hardware tokens
Configuration documentation covers OpenSSL, Luna, nCipher and OpenSC cryptographic tokens.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Independent platform description
Wikipedia describes OpenCA as cross-platform free CA software with web-based certificate enrollment and management using OpenLDAP, OpenSSL and Apache.Read 15 Oct 2026 · de.wikipedia.org
Independent version record
The German Wikipedia entry records OpenCA PKI version 1.5.2 dated May 2014 and lists Linux, Unix and Mac OS X.Read 15 Oct 2026 · de.wikipedia.org
LDAP integration
OpenCA uses OpenLDAP and documents publishing certificates and CRLs into LDAP directories.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Limit: complexity
LinuxFr discussion participants characterized OpenCA and comparable full PKI suites as excessive for simple personal certificate use.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linuxfr.org
Limit: perceived maintenance
A LinuxFr commenter in 2013 described OpenCA as seemingly unmaintained and possibly nonfunctional in the tested version.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linuxfr.org
Maker history
The project guide traces OpenCA's start to 1998, when the founders sought a complete PKI solution without per-certificate licensing costs.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Maker locations
The support page lists OpenCA Project offices in Modena, Italy, and New York, USA.Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Multiple registration authorities
OpenCA supports multiple registration-authority nodes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sourceforge.net
Notable release
OpenCA PKI 1.5.0, codename SpecialK, was announced on 2013-08-08 with fixes carried forward from version 1.3.0.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Notable source move
OpenCA announced on 2014-07-28 that its source repositories had moved to GitHub.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
OCSP
OpenCA includes an OCSP responder component for certificate-status checking.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sourceforge.net
Older feature note
A 2008 release announcement lists Elliptic Curve support, automatic certificate and CRL issuance through online engines, and a graphical installer for binary distributions.Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Praise: project quality
A Reddit commenter said they experimented with OpenCA and considered it a good project.Read 15 Oct 2026 · reddit.com
Praise: usability
SourceForge reviewers describe the utility as very usable and easy, with comments such as “Simply great.”Read 15 Oct 2026 · sourceforge.net
Project model
OpenCA Labs says its projects are volunteer-driven and use a collaborative, consensus-based management process.Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Protocols and cryptography
The project says it implements commonly used protocols with full-strength cryptography.Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org
PRQP
The project includes a PRQP responder.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sourceforge.net
Public source
OpenCA source code is publicly hosted in the openca/openca-base GitHub repository.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
SCEP enrollment
OpenCA exposes a SCEP web interface for enrollment and certificate or CRL operations.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
SDK build system
LibPKI is built with GNU Autoconf and Automake and includes an associated SDK.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Security reporting
Security vulnerabilities can be submitted privately to the project issue address or publicly through GitHub trackers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
SourceForge activity limit
SourceForge shows the last project update as 2018-09-24.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sourceforge.net
SourceForge rating
OpenCA has a 5.0 out of 5 rating from 9 SourceForge reviews.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sourceforge.net
SPKAC support
Browser-based certificate requests can use SPKAC for Mozilla-derived browsers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Supported operating systems
SourceForge lists Linux, Windows, Mac and BSD availability, while official packages provide Linux, Solaris and Mac OS X downloads.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sourceforge.net
System prerequisites
OpenCA Tools 1.3.0 is listed as a prerequisite before installing OpenCA PKI.Read 15 Oct 2026 · openca.org
Tools prerequisite
OpenCA Tools version 1.3.0 is listed as a prerequisite that should be installed before OpenCA PKI.Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org

Plans and prices

OpenCA PKI Free Open source PKI management software · Version 1.5.1 listed Read 4 Oct 2026 · openca.org

Every OpenCA PKI plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Free, open-source PKI management software.
  • Lists SCEP support, HSM integration, and certificate profiles.
  • Community support includes mailing lists, forums, and chat.

Limits

  • OpenCA Tools version 1.3.0 is a prerequisite.
  • Downloadable documentation is unavailable.
  • The OpenCA Guide for version 0.9.2 is partly outdated.

Who it suits

OpenCA PKI suits teams seeking free, on-premises PKI management and able to meet its software prerequisites. Readers who need current downloadable documentation should note the project’s stated documentation limits.

Verdict

OpenCA PKI offers an on-premises Certificate Authority and PKI management, with several required dependencies to install. Check the listed release and documentation limits against your deployment and support needs.

Where Specifiction places it

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