AlistGo/alist · error

failed to parse PEM block containing the key

Error message

failed to parse PEM block containing the key

What it means

Error "failed to parse PEM block containing the key" thrown in AlistGo/alist.

Source

Thrown at server/sftp/hostkey.go:98

		return nil, false
	}
	return ret, true
}

func rsaEncodePrivateKey(privateKey *rsa.PrivateKey) []byte {
	privateKeyBytes := x509.MarshalPKCS1PrivateKey(privateKey)
	privateBlock := &pem.Block{
		Type:    "RSA PRIVATE KEY",
		Headers: nil,
		Bytes:   privateKeyBytes,
	}
	return pem.EncodeToMemory(privateBlock)
}

func rsaDecodePrivateKey(bytes []byte) (*rsa.PrivateKey, error) {
	block, _ := pem.Decode(bytes)
	if block == nil {
		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse PEM block containing the key")
	}
	privateKey, err := x509.ParsePKCS1PrivateKey(block.Bytes)
	if err != nil {
		return nil, err
	}
	return privateKey, nil
}

View on GitHub (pinned to 843d9dc814)

Solutions

1. Check the storage configuration and the provider's service status, fix the indicated cause, and retry the operation.

When it happens

Trigger: Thrown at server/sftp/hostkey.go:98 when the library encounters an invalid state.

Common situations: See trigger scenarios.

Understand the failure class

• Parsing and encoding errors: unexpected token, malformed input — why parsers reject input and how to find the real culprit.

AI-assisted analysis of AlistGo/alist@843d9dc814 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4eae90ef0abc6063. Report an issue: GitHub.