The idea in one paragraph
Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) lets people prove who they are online. Each person has a private key that only they hold and a public key that anyone can see. A trusted Certifying Authority issues a certificate that links the public key to a verified identity.
The building blocks
- Key pair: the private key signs, the public key verifies
- Digital certificate: usually in the X.509 format, binding a key to an identity
- Certifying Authority (CA): verifies identity and issues certificates
- Revocation: CRLs and OCSP tell everyone when a certificate should no longer be trusted
- Root of trust: in India, licensed CAs are certified by the Controller of Certifying Authorities (CCA)
Where you meet PKI every day
Digital signatures on tax filings, the padlock in your browser, signed software updates and secure email all depend on PKI.
Coming soon
In-depth guides for developers, compliance teams and students.