HTTPS (Apache) certificates

Warning

This article describes a deprecated feature as of Panda3D 1.10.0.

If you already have an SSL-protected website with its own https address, then you can use that website’s certificate to sign your p3d files. When the user is shown your certificate, he/she will be told something like “This application has been signed by myhost.mydomain.net,” where myhost.mydomain.net is your website’s hostname. If the user knows your web page, then this will reassure the user that it is safe to allow your p3d app to run.

This kind of certificate may be most appropriate for a corporate or commercial p3d file; the user may closely identify the company’s web address with the company itself.

Panda3D requires your certificate to be formatted in PEM form, which is the same format used by Apache. If you are using Apache to host your website, then you can use the public key and private key certificate files directly from your system install directory. (There may also be a third file, that lists the certificate’s authentication chain. If so, all three files are needed to sign your p3d file.) If you are using IIS or some other software to host your website, then you may need to convert your certificate to PEM form first; you can use the openssl command to do this. Search the internet for the exact command sequence.

You can obtain an HTTPS certificate from numerous sources; they range in price considerably, and many are quite inexpensive. Several companies offer a completely cost-free HTTPS certificate, but these usually come with a very short expiration date (90 days or so).