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CRL Decoder & Inspector

Decode X.509 certificate revocation lists from PEM, DER, Base64, or hex. Review issuer, update window, extensions, revoked serial numbers, and signature verification with an optional issuer certificate.

Inspect an X.509 CRL

Parsing and optional signature verification run in a browser worker. No CRL distribution point, OCSP service, or certificate URL is contacted.

Choose a CRL, PEM, or DER file.

Issuer certificate (optional)

Add the issuer's PEM, CRT, CER, or DER certificate to verify the exact CRL signature.

CRL details

Issuer, update window, signature state, extensions, and revoked certificate entries will appear here.

Read a certificate revocation list without contacting a CA

DecodeLens expands the CRL issuer, update window, signature metadata, CRL and entry extensions, reason codes, invalidity dates, and revoked serial numbers while preserving the underlying ASN.1 offsets.

Revocation and trust boundaries

  • The result describes only the supplied CRL; DecodeLens does not fetch a newer CRL or query OCSP.
  • An expired CRL or a future thisUpdate value is reported directly instead of being treated as current revocation data.
  • Signature verification requires the exact issuer certificate and does not build or trust a certificate chain.
  • Indirect and delta CRL metadata is shown, but a complete base-plus-delta revocation state is not synthesized.
  • Inspection is bounded to 10 MB and 5,000 revoked entries to keep browser resource use predictable.

Continue with tools that decode, convert, inspect, or verify the same data.

Search a revoked certificate serial number

Load a CRL, review thisUpdate and nextUpdate, then search the revoked-entry table by serial number. Add the issuer certificate when you also need cryptographic signature verification.

X.509 CRL

issuer + thisUpdate + nextUpdate + revokedCertificates

Inspection result

CRL #42 · 2 revoked entries
Update window: current
Signature: verified with supplied issuer certificate

CRL Decoder FAQ

Does a matching serial number prove a certificate is revoked now?

It proves that the serial appears in the supplied CRL. Current status also depends on the correct issuer, the CRL update window, applicable distribution point and scope, delta CRLs, and whether a newer revocation source exists.

What is the difference between revocationDate and invalidityDate?

revocationDate records when the CA added the revocation event. invalidityDate is optional and can identify an earlier time when the certificate or private key is believed to have become invalid.

Does CRL signature verification mean the issuer is trusted?

No. It verifies the CRL bytes against the supplied certificate key. Trust-chain, policy, hostname, and current-publication checks are separate decisions.