Documentation:Password

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What is the Password for ?

There is no server to login to, it's all decentralised !!!. The password only protect locally your RetroShare.

Certificates and signatures

Certificates and signatures are used to authenticate your friends.
Look up "Web-Of-Trust" on the web, for example on Wikipedia.

RSA encryption

We use RSA encryption (Wikipedia) : there is a public certificate and a private key.

The private key is stored in an encrypted file on your hard-drive and is used to decrypt the key, so you can use it!
When you send the invitation to a friend over email, you are actually sending the public part (your certificate).
To authenticate you, they can sign it (with their private key).

Lost of RetroShare certificate password, or key files

If you lose your password or your key files, then you just create a new key/certificate pair (with a new password).
The only annoying thing is that you have to re-authenticate all your friends.

Location of your own files

The files of your keys are into a folder named "keys", located into the RetroShare folder. To find this folder read: Configuration Files.

Two files store your certificate and your key:

• user_cert.pem (certificate)
  
• user_key.pem (your encrypted private key)
  

To delete (2014):

• Windows 7 : "C:\Users\UserName\App Data\Retroshare\keys"
• Linux: "~/.pqiPGPrc/keys"

Location of the files of your friends

If you copy the files above, then you will be able to use the same Certificate on a different computer.

You would probably also want to take your friends certificates, the files are in into a folder named "friends", located into the RetroShare folder. To find this folder read: Configuration Files.

To delete (2014): You would probably also want to take your friends certificates, these are in:

• Windows 7: "C:\Users\UserName\App Data\Retroshare\friends"
• Linux: "~/.pqiPGPrc/friends"

How to change your Retroshare password

As currently (2015) stated in the FAQ at the question "How can I change my password?": "This is not yet implemented. Sorry for that."

However under Linux you may try the following tutorial (2015):

   $ cd ~/.retroshare/pgp
   $ gpg --import < retroshare_secret_keyring.gpg
   $ gpg --list-keys
   sec   2048R/1B7A302C 2015-09-10
   uid                  RetroShareID (Generated by RetroShare) <>
   $ gpg --edit 1B7A302C
   gpg> passwd
   gpg> save
   $ mv retroshare_secret_keyring.gpg retroshare_secret_keyring.gpg.org
   $ gpg --export-secret-keys 1B7A302C > retroshare_secret_keyring.gpg