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# Public_Key Application

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The Public Key application deals with public-key related file formats, digital signatures, and X-509 certificates. It handles validation of certificate paths and certificate revocation lists (CRLs) and other functions for handling of certificates, keys and CRLs. It is a library application that does not read or write files, it expects or returns file contents or partial file contents as binaries. Except for the functions `public-key:cacerts_load/0`, `public-key:cacerts_load/1`, and `public-key:cacerts_get/0` that reads files.

## Supported PKIX functionality

- Supports RFC 5280 - Internet X.509 Public-Key Infrastructure Certificate and Certificate Revocation List (CRL) Profile. Certificate policies supported since OTP-26.2
- Supports PKCS-1 - RSA Cryptography Standard
- Supports DSS - Digital Signature Standard (DSA - Digital Signature Algorithm)
- Supports PKCS-3 - Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement Standard
- Supports Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) (http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc5652.txt) including Password-Based Encryption with original PKCS-5 support, but currently excluding offical support for most of section 10-12 (if proven useful, especially Attribute Certificates v2, it might be added later).
- Supports PKCS-8 - Private-Key Information Syntax Standard
- Supports PKCS-10 - Certification Request Syntax Standard

## Dependencies

The `public_key` application uses the Crypto application to perform cryptographic operations and the ASN-1 application to handle PKIX-ASN-1 specifications, hence these applications must be loaded for the `public_key` application to work. In an embedded environment this means they must be started with `application:start/[1,2]` before the `public_key` application is started.

## Error Logger and Event Handlers

The `public_key` application is a library application and does not use the error logger. The functions will either succeed or fail with a runtime error.

## See Also

`application`

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