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Public Key Infrastructure

Public key infrastructure, or PKI, is the system of authorities, policies, certificates, and trust stores that binds public keys to identities. It lets software decide which keys to trust for authentication, encryption, and digital signatures without arranging a separate secret with every party.

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Public Key Infrastructure

Public key infrastructure, or PKI, is a system for creating, distributing, validating, and retiring digital certificates. A certificate binds a public key to a named subject or other certified identity information. A certification authority signs that binding. A relying party accepts it only when the certificate satisfies policy and builds a valid path to a trusted anchor.

PKI solves a distribution problem. Public-key cryptography provides a key pair, but a bare public key does not identify its owner. PKI adds governed evidence about identity, permitted use, validity, and issuer. It supports TLS server authentication, mutual TLS, user and device identity, code signing, document signatures, and secure email.

Architecture and trust

A common hierarchy has an offline root certification authority, one or more online intermediate certification authorities, and end-entity certificates. The root is a trust anchor installed through a controlled trust-store process. It signs intermediate CA certificates infrequently. Intermediates handle routine issuance, which limits the root key's exposure and creates smaller failure domains.

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