Identity

Binary: step-ca (the CA server), step (the CLI client)
Config: $(step path)/config/ca.json — typically ~/.step/config/ca.json or /etc/step-ca/config/ca.json when running as a service
Root CA cert: $(step path)/certs/root_ca.crt
Intermediate cert: $(step path)/certs/intermediate_ca.crt
Service: step-ca.service (systemd) or a Docker container
Default port: 9000 (configurable in ca.json → address)
Logs: journalctl -u step-ca (systemd) or container stdout

Key Operations

Operation	Command
Initialize new CA	`step ca init`
Start CA (foreground)	`step-ca $(step path)/config/ca.json`
Start CA (systemd)	`sudo systemctl start step-ca`
Check service status	`systemctl status step-ca`
Health check endpoint	`curl -k https://localhost:9000/health`
Issue a certificate	`step ca certificate myhost.local myhost.crt myhost.key`