# Mailserver .pem key

**URL:** <https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/mailserver-pem-key/26503>\
**Category:** Server\
**Created:** [January 26, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/mailserver-pem-key/26503 "2017-01-26T20:30:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![thiagomoraesp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/letsencrypt/user_avatar/community.letsencrypt.org/thiagomoraesp/32/10849_2.png) [@thiagomoraesp](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/thiagomoraesp)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 8:30pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/mailserver-pem-key/26503/1 "2017-01-26T20:30:28Z")

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Hi guys, i have a really dumb question(or not), i have a server with a self signed certificate in .pem format, and i need to know is the lets encrypt server provide certificates in .pem format =)

thanks in advance and sorry for the bad english.

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**Author:** ![mnordhoff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/letsencrypt/user_avatar/community.letsencrypt.org/mnordhoff/32/22583_2.png) [@mnordhoff](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/mnordhoff)\
**Post date:** [January 26, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/mailserver-pem-key/26503/2 "2017-01-26T21:24:49Z")

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Short answer: Yes.

Longer answer:

Private keys and certificates are just information. There are multiple existing file formats to store them in; the .pem one is popular. Most Let’s Encrypt clients probably use it by default, and it’s always possible to convert files between different formats, if you have to.

There is an additional complication: Even while using .pem files, different software structures them in different ways. For example, one program might want the private key and certificate to be combined in the same file, while another program might require them to be separate. Again, you might have to convert them, but it will work out fine.

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**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/letsencrypt/original/3X/c/a/ca6c06ea1ea201324bba7048c6841ce60236468d.png) [@system](https://community.letsencrypt.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2017, 9:29pm UTC](https://community.letsencrypt.org/t/mailserver-pem-key/26503/3 "2017-02-25T21:29:29Z")

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