The KEYGEN Tag

A form control that generated a public and private key pair in the browser.

In 2026: Removed from HTML and from every browser by 2019. Netscape shipped it for client certificate enrolment, and for twenty years it was the only way a web page could make a key pair. WebCrypto replaced it.

Where it came from: Netscape Navigator 3 client certificate documentation, 1996. Removed from the HTML standard in 2017. MDN ↗

<form action="/cgi-bin/enroll.cgi" method="post">
  Your name: <input type="text" name="cn">
  Key strength: <keygen name="spkac" challenge="randomstring" keytype="rsa">
  <input type="submit" value="Request certificate">
</form>