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Manage Puppet certificates as a certificate-authority (CA) lifecycle. On the primary server, inspect a node’s request with puppetserver ca list, verify the node identity, and sign it with puppetserver ca sign --certname web-01.example.net. Revoke a certificate that must no longer authenticate with puppetserver ca revoke --certname web-01.example.net. When decommissioning or reissuing, remove the CA-side record with puppetserver ca clean --certname web-01.example.net, then clear the node’s local SSL files with puppet ssl clean so it can create a new request.
What Puppet certificates do
Puppet uses certificates to verify the identity of nodes. The primary server (Puppet Server) operates a CA by default, and each agent obtains a certificate that identifies its certname. During normal operation, the agent presents that certificate when requesting a catalog. The server uses the signed identity to decide which node is connecting and to protect the connection from an unknown or impersonating host.
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The enrollment flow has three distinct objects:
- Private key: generated and kept on the node (and separately protected on the CA).
- Certificate signing request (CSR): the agent’s request for a certificate, containing its proposed identity and any requested extensions.
- Signed certificate: the CA-approved identity that the agent uses for authenticated connections.
A certificate is not a password that can simply be copied between machines. Its private key must remain with the identity it represents. If a host is rebuilt, renamed, compromised, or retired, treat its certificate as a lifecycle item and issue or invalidate it deliberately.
The current command split
Use puppetserver ca for CA operations on the primary server and puppet ssl for SSL material on an agent. The former puppet cert command was removed in Puppet 6, so instructions written for older releases are not the right command reference for Puppet 6 and later.
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| Task | Command | Where to run it | Effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| List pending requests and CA certificates | puppetserver ca list |
Primary server | Shows requests awaiting approval and certificate state for identity checks. |
| Sign an approved request | puppetserver ca sign --certname web-01.example.net |
Primary server | Issues a certificate for the specified certname. |
| Invalidate a certificate | puppetserver ca revoke --certname web-01.example.net |
Primary server | Prevents the certificate from being trusted for future authentication. |
| Revoke and remove CA-side files | puppetserver ca clean --certname web-01.example.net |
Primary server | Revokes each listed certificate for the certname and deletes its associated CA certificate file. |
| Remove local SSL state | puppet ssl clean |
Agent node | Deletes the node’s local SSL material so the next agent run creates a fresh request. |
Run the commands with the operating-system account and environment used by your Puppet installation. If your deployment uses a nonstandard configuration directory or service wrapper, preserve those settings when invoking the commands.
Sign a Puppet agent certificate safely
Signing is an identity decision, not a routine acknowledgement. Approve a CSR only when you can associate its certname with an expected host, owner, and enrollment event.
- Identify the node. Confirm the machine’s inventory record, DNS name, operating-system owner, and intended Puppet environment. Check that the requested certname is exactly the identity you expect; a typo can create a second identity or strand the real node.
- Inspect pending requests. On the primary server, run
puppetserver ca list. Review the request before signing, especially if the deployment permits subject-alternative names (SANs) or authorization extensions. - Verify ownership out of band. Use your inventory, console, or an administrator on the host to confirm that the request came from the machine named by the certname. Do not treat a familiar-looking hostname as proof of ownership.
- Sign the request. Run
puppetserver ca sign --certname web-01.example.net, replacing the example with the verified certname. - Set an intentional lifetime. The sign operation supports a TTL. Choose a lifetime that matches your rotation schedule and incident-response policy rather than accepting an unexamined default. Record the selected lifetime in the change record and make sure an owner is responsible for renewal.
- Run the agent and verify. Start the node’s normal agent run after signing. It should authenticate and request a catalog without a certificate-pending error. Check the Puppet Server log and the node’s report for the expected certname.
Keep autosigning restricted unless you have a controlled policy, reliable inventory, and a way to prevent an untrusted machine from claiming an approved name. Manual review is slower, but it prevents a CSR from becoming an authentication credential solely because it reached the CA.
Revoke versus clean: use the right lifecycle action
Revocation and cleanup solve different problems. Revocation changes trust; cleanup removes the CA-side files associated with an identity so that a later enrollment can start cleanly.
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| Situation | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Private key may be exposed, or the host must no longer connect | puppetserver ca revoke --certname web-01.example.net |
Invalidates the certificate for authentication while retaining the revocation state. |
| Host is permanently retired | puppetserver ca clean --certname web-01.example.net |
Revokes each listed certificate and deletes the associated CA certificate file. |
| Host is being rebuilt or its identity is being reissued | Clean on the server, then run puppet ssl clean on the node |
Removes stale state on both sides so the rebuilt node submits a new CSR. |
| You only need to stop trust immediately but may need the record for investigation | Revoke first; defer clean | Preserves CA-side information while the incident or retirement process is documented. |
The clean operation reports nonexistent signed certificates rather than treating them as a fatal request error. That makes it suitable for decommissioning workflows where a previous certificate may already have been removed, but you should still review the output and your inventory instead of assuming every state was identical.
Regenerate an agent certificate
Reissuing normally requires work on both the primary server and the node. Cleaning only one side leaves either a stale CA record or a node that continues presenting its old key and certificate.
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- Handle the old CA record. On the primary server, revoke the old certificate when it must no longer authenticate. For a rebuild, retirement, or deliberate re-enrollment, run
puppetserver ca clean --certname web-01.example.net. - Remove local SSL material. On the node, run
puppet ssl clean. This removes the local certificate, private key, and related SSL state managed by Puppet, allowing a new key and CSR to be generated. - Create the new request. Run the node’s normal agent command once. Because its local SSL material is gone, the agent should generate a new CSR and wait for approval instead of requesting a catalog with the old identity.
- Inspect the request again. On the primary server, run
puppetserver ca list. Confirm that the new request has the expected certname and that no unexpected SAN or authorization-extension values are present. - Sign the new request. Run
puppetserver ca sign --certname web-01.example.netafter the identity review. - Complete a test run. Run the agent again and verify a successful TLS connection, catalog retrieval, and report. Check that the new certificate’s validity period matches the selected policy.
If a rebuilt host should have a different certname, use the new identity consistently in inventory, DNS, Puppet configuration, and the CA request. Reusing an old name without cleaning the old certificate can produce a “certificate already exists” condition or leave two physical machines associated with one identity.
Replace the primary server certificate
Changing the primary server’s certificate is more disruptive than rotating an agent certificate because agents cannot establish their normal connection while Puppet Server is stopped or presenting an untrusted identity. Schedule a maintenance window and ensure you have console or out-of-band access before starting.
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Puppet’s documented order is:
- Clean the server certificate. Remove the existing server-side certificate record using the CA procedure for the certname of the primary server.
- Clean local SSL state. On the primary server, run
puppet ssl cleanso the host does not continue using the old local key and certificate. - Stop Puppet Server. Use the service manager for your installation, such as the package’s system service command. Agents will be unable to connect during this interruption.
- Generate the replacement certificate. Use the certificate-generation procedure for the exact Puppet release and installation layout. If clients reach the server through additional DNS names, include the required names as subject-alternative names when generating the certificate.
- Start Puppet Server. Restart the service after the new key and certificate are in place.
- Verify before reopening normal runs. Confirm that the service is listening, the certificate chains to the CA trusted by agents, the primary server’s certname is correct, and every required DNS name resolves to that server. Test an agent connection before removing the maintenance hold.
There is no safe shortcut that consists of copying an agent certificate onto the primary server. The server’s identity, private key, trust store, and any SANs must be generated and installed according to the release-specific procedure.
SANs and authorization extensions require extra review
Subject-alternative-name and authorization-extension signing are disabled by default. An administrator can enable them in ca.conf, but doing so changes the risk of accepting a CSR. Puppet warns that allowing SANs can let an agent impersonate another node name.
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- Limit who can change the CA configuration and who can sign requests.
- Review every requested SAN against an authoritative DNS and asset inventory.
- Confirm that the requester controls each name and that no production identity is being claimed by a staging host.
- Record the business or routing requirement for the extension and the approving administrator.
- Reassess the setting after the special enrollment is complete; do not enable it permanently for convenience.
A certname check alone is not sufficient when SANs are enabled. Review all identity-bearing fields before signing.
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Choose a CA architecture
Puppet’s built-in CA is convenient for a self-contained installation, but it is not the only design. Puppet also supports an intermediate CA or an external CA. The right boundary depends on who must control the CA key, how certificates are approved and revoked, and how renewal must work during outages.
| Architecture | CA-key ownership | Approval and revocation | Operational considerations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in Puppet CA | Puppet Server installation controls the CA key. | Use puppetserver ca list, sign, revoke, and clean. |
Straightforward for one Puppet trust domain; protect the primary server and back up CA state. |
| Intermediate CA | An organizational or enterprise root remains above the intermediate; Puppet operates under the delegated intermediate. | Puppet-side lifecycle actions still need to align with the parent PKI’s issuance and revocation policy. | Separates the root key from day-to-day Puppet operations, but adds chain management, renewal planning, and dependency on the parent CA. |
| External CA | An external PKI team or service controls issuance keys and policy. | Approval, revocation, audit, and renewal follow the external CA process and its integration with Puppet. | Useful when trust ownership, compliance, or key custody must remain outside Puppet Server; verify compatibility with the exact Puppet release. |
Compare designs using the same questions: Who can access the CA key? Is an intermediate required? How are requests approved and certificates revoked? What lifetime and renewal automation are available? What happens when the CA or Puppet Server is unavailable? Can you produce an audit trail? Are SAN and authorization extensions supported under the required policy?
Certificate lifetime and renewal operations
A short lifetime limits the window in which a stolen private key remains useful, but it increases the frequency of renewal and the consequences of an outage. A long lifetime reduces renewal traffic but leaves more time for an unnoticed compromise. Select the TTL used at signing according to your organization’s rotation and incident-response policy, then make the policy executable.
- Assign ownership: name the team responsible for renewing certificates and responding to expiry alerts.
- Track expiry: monitor the validity period of both agent and primary-server certificates, not just whether the latest catalog run succeeded.
- Test renewal: exercise the complete path—new CSR, review, signing, agent run—in a nonproduction environment.
- Protect availability: keep a documented emergency procedure for signing or revoking when the normal automation or approval system is unavailable.
- Audit exceptions: record unusually long lifetimes, manual signatures, SAN requests, and emergency revocations.
What replaced puppet cert?
For Puppet 6 and later, the old puppet cert interface was removed. Server-side CA work moved to puppetserver ca, while node-side certificate and key cleanup is handled by puppet ssl. A current runbook should therefore pair commands by location: use puppetserver ca on the primary server and puppet ssl on the agent.
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Troubleshoot common certificate failures
The CSR is not listed
- Confirm the agent actually ran after its local SSL material was removed.
- Check the configured server address, DNS resolution, network path, and firewall.
- Verify that the node is using the expected Puppet configuration directory and certname.
- Look at the agent log for a local key-generation or permission error before investigating the CA.
The request has the wrong certname
Do not sign it and hope to correct the name later. Stop the enrollment, correct the node’s Puppet configuration and inventory, clean the incorrect local SSL state, and submit a new CSR. If the wrong request was already signed, revoke it and clean the CA-side record before reissuing.
Signing reports that a certificate already exists
The CA still has a certificate for that certname. Determine whether the existing certificate belongs to the same physical host. For a legitimate reissue, revoke it when necessary and run puppetserver ca clean --certname web-01.example.net; then run puppet ssl clean on the node and submit a new request.
The agent still presents the old certificate
Cleaning only the primary server does not remove the node’s private key. Run puppet ssl clean on the agent, generate a new request, sign that request, and perform a fresh agent run. If the node is managed by a service, ensure the service is not restoring an old configuration directory or backup.
A compromised node continues to connect
Revoke the certificate immediately with puppetserver ca revoke --certname web-01.example.net, isolate the host, preserve relevant logs, and investigate private-key exposure. Clean the CA files only after the evidence and replacement plan are recorded; cleanup does not substitute for revocation.
Agents fail after the primary server certificate change
- Confirm Puppet Server is running and listening on the expected port.
- Verify that the new certificate contains the server certname and every DNS name agents use.
- Check that agents trust the issuing CA and that the full certificate chain is available when an intermediate is used.
- Review clock synchronization on the server and agents; a valid certificate can appear expired or not-yet-valid when clocks differ.
- Run one controlled agent test before releasing the rest of the fleet.
A practical certificate runbook
Keep the following sequence in your operational documentation and adapt the service-management steps to your platform:
- Record the node or server certname, owner, reason for change, and maintenance window.
- Inspect current CA state with
puppetserver ca list. - Choose the lifecycle action: sign, revoke, or clean.
- For reissue, perform CA-side cleanup and then run
puppet ssl cleanon the affected node. - Submit and review the new CSR, including SANs and authorization extensions if they are enabled.
- Sign only after identity verification.
- Run the agent and verify TLS, catalog retrieval, and the resulting report.
- Record the new validity period, approving administrator, and any exceptions.
This separation of identity review, trust invalidation, file cleanup, and post-change verification prevents the most common certificate mistakes: approving an unknown host, deleting evidence before revoking a credential, or assuming that a server-side cleanup changed a node’s local key.
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