---
name: "dknewkey"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "python-dkim"
version: "1.1.8-3"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/dknewkey"
---

# dknewkey(1)

Generates new DKIM public/private key pairs

## NAME

dknewkey - Generates new DKIM public/private key pairs

## VERSION

0\.8.0

## DESCRIPTION

dknewykey generates new DKIM keys.

For RSA keys, it defaults to 2048 bit key size.  This is controlled by the BITS\_REQUIRED variable. ed25519 keys do not have a variable size.

For RSA keys, it uses openssl to do the generation.  By default it assumes this is located at /usr/bin/openssl.  This is controlled by the OPENSSL\_BINARY variable.  For ed25519 keys, PyNaCl (python-nacl in Debian and derivatives) is used.  For RSA keys k=sha256 is now included in the public DNS record to prevent inadvertent use with the now obsolete sha1 hash algorithm (See RFC 8301).

## USAGE

dknewkey.py \[-h\] \[--ktype {rsa,ed25519}\] key\_name

mandatory positional arguments:\
   key\_name

optional arguments:\
   \-h, --help            show this help message and exit\
   \--ktype {rsa,ed25519}\
                         DKIM key type: Default is rsa

NOTE: Depending on the packaging and distribution, the exact path and name for the executable may vary.

## AUTHORS

This version of **dknewkey** was written by Brandon Long \<blong@google.com\>. It has been substantially rewritten by Scott Kitterman \<scott@kitterman.com\>.

This man-page was created by Scott Kitterman \<scott@kitterman.com\> and is licensed under the same terms as dkimpy.