Requests

The Requests page lets you manage certificate operations that require administrator approval. It has two tabs: Sign requests for new certificate issuance and Revoke requests for certificate revocation.

Requests list

Navigate to Operation → Private SSL → Requests to view all pending and processed requests.

Sign requests tab

This tab shows certificate signing requests (CSRs) submitted for approval.

The list shows:

  • Name: Common name with status badge (Requested, Signing, Signed, Denied, Canceled, Failed)
  • Authority: The CA that will sign the certificate
  • SAN: Subject Alternative Names
  • Valid for: Requested validity period
  • Administrator: CA owner who will approve or deny the request
  • Requested by: Who submitted the request
  • Requested at: When the request was submitted
  • Requested IP: IP address of the requester

Revoke requests tab

This tab shows requests to revoke existing certificates.

The list shows:

  • Name: Certificate common name with status badge (Requested, Revoking, Revoked, Denied, Canceled, Failed)
  • Reason: Revocation reason
  • Requested by: Who submitted the request
  • Requested at: When the request was submitted

Creating a sign request

Sign requests can only be created from the CLI.

Create a new sign request:

alpacon csr create

This opens an interactive editor to configure the CSR settings.

List all sign requests:

alpacon csr ls

View details of a specific request:

alpacon csr describe CSR_ID

Creating a revoke request

To revoke an existing certificate:

  1. Go to Certificates tab and find the certificate
  2. Click on the certificate and select Revoke
  3. Select a revocation reason
  4. Click Submit

Or from the CLI:

alpacon revoke create --certificate CERT_ID --reason CODE

Revocation reason codes

CodeReasonDescription
0UnspecifiedNo specific reason provided
1Key compromiseThe certificate’s private key was compromised
2CA compromiseThe CA’s private key was compromised
3Affiliation changedThe subject’s affiliation changed
4SupersededThe certificate was replaced
5Cessation of operationThe subject is no longer operating
6Certificate holdTemporarily suspended
9Privilege withdrawnThe subject’s privileges were revoked
10AA compromiseThe attribute authority was compromised

Approving requests

Sign requests

  1. Go to Requests → Sign requests
  2. Click on a pending request
  3. Review the request details
  4. Click Approve or Deny

When approved, the CA signs the request and issues the certificate.

Additional actions available from the web UI:

  • Cancel: The requester can cancel their own request while the status is Requested
  • Mark failed: Administrators can mark a request as failed
  • Retry: Available when the status is Signing (e.g., after a transient error)

CLI:

alpacon csr approve CSR_ID
alpacon csr deny CSR_ID
alpacon csr delete CSR_ID

Revoke requests

  1. Go to Requests → Revoke requests
  2. Click on a pending request
  3. Review the revocation details
  4. Click Approve or Deny

When approved, the certificate is added to the CA’s CRL.

Additional actions available from the web UI:

  • Cancel: The requester can cancel their own request while the status is Requested
  • Mark failed: Administrators can mark a request as failed
  • Retry: Available when the status is Revoking (e.g., after a transient error)

CLI:

alpacon revoke approve REVOCATION_ID
alpacon revoke deny REVOCATION_ID
alpacon revoke cancel REVOCATION_ID

Request statuses

Sign request statuses

StatusDescription
RequestedAwaiting administrator approval
SigningApproved and being signed by the CA
SignedCertificate has been issued
DeniedRequest was rejected by administrator
CanceledRequest was canceled by the requester
FailedAn error occurred during signing

Revoke request statuses

StatusDescription
RequestedAwaiting administrator approval
RevokingApproved and being processed
RevokedCertificate has been revoked
DeniedRequest was rejected by administrator
CanceledRequest was canceled by the requester
FailedAn error occurred during revocation

Retrying failed requests

If a request fails due to a temporary issue, you can retry it from the web UI or CLI. In the web UI, a Retry button appears when the request status is Signing or Revoking.

Sign requests:

alpacon csr retry CSR_ID

Revoke requests:

alpacon revoke retry REVOCATION_ID

Canceling requests

Cancel a pending request before it’s processed. In the web UI, a Cancel button appears for the requester when the request status is Requested.

Sign requests:

alpacon csr delete CSR_ID

Revoke requests:

alpacon revoke cancel REVOCATION_ID

CLI commands

Sign request commands

CommandDescription
alpacon csr lsList all sign requests
alpacon csr describe CSR_IDView request details
alpacon csr createCreate a new sign request
alpacon csr approve CSR_IDApprove a request
alpacon csr deny CSR_IDDeny a request
alpacon csr retry CSR_IDRetry a failed request
alpacon csr delete CSR_IDCancel a pending request
alpacon csr download-crt CSR_IDDownload the issued certificate

Revoke request commands

CommandDescription
alpacon revoke lsList all revoke requests
alpacon revoke describe REVOCATION_IDView request details
alpacon revoke createCreate a new revoke request
alpacon revoke approve REVOCATION_IDApprove a request
alpacon revoke deny REVOCATION_IDDeny a request
alpacon revoke retry REVOCATION_IDRetry a failed request
alpacon revoke cancel REVOCATION_IDCancel a pending request
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