ASN.1 Analyzer

Online safety doesn’t just depend on the level of attention you pay when surfing through pages, but also on the source’s security protocols. There are various standards used in online security, and if you’re in charge of managing such tasks, ASN.1 Analyzer comes as a handy viewer for arbitrary ASN.1 files.

One of the first things which needs to be mentioned is that you don’t even have to go through a setup process to make the application work, so you can see what it’s all about from the moment download is done. Note, however, that it requires Java Runtime Environment to function, but this also means it can run on other operating systems than Windows.

In terms of visual style, the application relies on classic window elements, with several Java themes you can choose from. Multiple files can be opened at a time, each in its own tab or window, depending on your preferences. The window is split into a data and trace view, while the data view contains several panels to show content in a few modes.

As the name suggests, the application is a viewer for arbitrary ASN.1 files, which can be under formats like BER, CER, or DER. These are mostly means of handling certificate content, which is one of the program applications.

The data view lets you browse through collapsable nodes found inside the file. Column headers are used to display type, tag class, tag number, encoding, offset, length, name, and value. Selection also shows the corresponding HEX string, as well as ASCII representation.

Right-clicking an item allows you to attempt to decode content, or re-interpret as string, simple, time, or complex value corresponding to a variety of encoding and string types. You can copy entire nodes and contents, or to collapse and expand notes for a better view.

All things considered, we can state that ASN.1 Analyzer provides a reliable set of features to study the content of ASN.1 files. The interface offers a comfortable preview of content in several modes, with the possibility to analyze multiple files at a time.