---
layout: docs
page_title: File system certificate configuration reference
description: Learn how to configure a file system certificate bound to an API Gateway on VMs.
---

# File system certificate configuration reference

This topic provides reference information for the file system certificate
configuration entry. The file system certificate is a more secure alternative to the [inline certificate configuration entry](/consul/docs/connect/config-entries/inline-certificate) when using Consul API Gateway on VMs because it references a local filepath instead of including sensitive information in the configuration entry itself. File system certificates also include a file system watch that implements certificate and key changes without restarting the gateway.

Consul on Kubernetes deployments that use `consul-k8s` Helm chart v1.5.0 or later use file system certificates without additional configuration. To learn about configuring certificates for Kubernetes environments, refer to [Gateway Resource Configuration](/consul/docs/connect/gateways/api-gateway/configuration/gateway).

## Configuration model

The following list outlines field hierarchy, language-specific data types, and
requirements in a `file-system-certificate` configuration entry. Click on a property name
to view additional details, including default values.

- [`Kind`](#kind): string | must be set to `"file-system-certificate"`
- [`Name`](#name): string | no default
- [`Namespace`](#namespace): string | no default <EnterpriseAlert inline />
- [`Partition`](#partition): string | no default <EnterpriseAlert inline />
- [`Meta`](#meta): map | no default
- [`Certificate`](#certificate): string | no default
- [`PrivateKey`](#privatekey): string | no default

## Complete configuration

When every field is defined, a `file-system-certificate` configuration entry has the following form:

<Tabs>

<Tab heading="HCL" group="hcl">

```hcl
Kind = "file-system-certificate"
Name = "<name of certificate>"
Namespace = "ns"
Partition = "default"
Meta = {
	"<key>" = "<value>"
}

Certificate = "<filepath/to/public/certificate>"
PrivateKey = "<filepath/to/private/key>"
```

</Tab>

<Tab heading="JSON" group="json">

```json
{
	"Kind": "file-system-certificate",
	"Name": "<name of certificate>",
	"Namespace": "ns",
	"Partition": "default",
	"Meta": {
		"key": "value"
	},
	"Certificate": "<filepath/to/public/certificate>",
	"PrivateKey": "<filepath/to/private/key>"
}
```

</Tab>
</Tabs>

## Specification

### `Kind`

Specifies the type of configuration entry to implement.

#### Values

- Default: None
- This field is required.
- Data type: string that must equal `"file-system-certificate"`

### `Name`

Specifies a name for the configuration entry. The name is metadata that you can
use to reference the configuration entry when performing Consul operations, such
as applying a configuration entry to a specific cluster.

#### Values

- Default: None
- This field is required.
- Data type: string

### `Namespace` <EnterpriseAlert inline />

Specifies the Enterprise [namespace](/consul/docs/enterprise/namespaces) to apply to the configuration entry.

#### Values

- Default: `"default"` in Enterprise
- Data type: string

### `Partition` <EnterpriseAlert inline />

Specifies the Enterprise [admin partition](/consul/docs/enterprise/admin-partitions) to apply to the configuration entry.

#### Values

- Default: `"default"` in Enterprise
- Data type: string

### `Meta`

Specifies an arbitrary set of key-value pairs to associate with the gateway.

#### Values

- Default: None
- Data type: map containing one or more keys and string values.

### `Certificate`

Specifies the path to a file that contains a public certificate to use for TLS. This filepath must be accessible to the API gateway proxy at runtime.

#### Values

- Default: none
- This field is required.
- Data type: string value of the filepath to a public certificate

### `PrivateKey`

Specifies the path to a file that contains a private key to use for TLS. This filepath must be accessible to the API gateway proxy at runtime.

#### Values

- Default: none
- This field is required.
- Data type: string value of the filepath to a private key

## Examples

The following example demonstrates a file system certificate configuration.

<Tabs>

<Tab heading="HCL" group="hcl">

```hcl
Kind                     = "file-system-certificate"
Name                     = "tls-certificate"
Certificate              = "/opt/consul/tls/api-gateway.crt"
PrivateKey               = "/opt/consul/tls/api-gateway.key"
```

</Tab>

<Tab heading="JSON" group="json">

```json
{
  "Kind": "file-system-certificate",
  "Name": "tls-certificate",
	"Certificate": "opt/consul/tls/api-gateway.crt",
	"PrivateKey": "/opt/consul/tls/api-gateway.key"
}
```

</Tab>
</Tabs>