| java.security.Key
All known Subclasses: javax.crypto.spec.SecretKeySpec, com.sun.j2me.crypto.SecretKey,
| Key | | public interface Key (Code) | | The Key interface is the top-level interface for all keys. It
defines the functionality shared by all key objects. All keys
have three characteristics:
- An Algorithm
This is the key algorithm for that key. The key algorithm is usually
an encryption or asymmetric operation algorithm (such as DSA or
RSA), which will work with those algorithms and with related
algorithms (such as MD5 with RSA, SHA-1 with RSA, Raw DSA, etc.)
- An Encoded Form
This is an external encoded form for the key used when a standard
representation of the key is needed outside the Java Virtual Machine,
as when transmitting the key to some other party. The key
is encoded according to a standard format (such as
X.509 SubjectPublicKeyInfo).
Note: The syntax of the ASN.1 type SubjectPublicKeyInfo
is defined as follows:
SubjectPublicKeyInfo ::= SEQUENCE {
algorithm AlgorithmIdentifier,
subjectPublicKey BIT STRING }
AlgorithmIdentifier ::= SEQUENCE {
algorithm OBJECT IDENTIFIER,
parameters ANY DEFINED BY algorithm OPTIONAL }
For more information, see
RFC 2459:
Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate and CRL Profile.
- A Format
This is the name of the format of the encoded key.
Keys are generally obtained through key generators and certificates.
Keys may also be obtained from key specifications (transparent
representations of the underlying key material) through the use of a key
factory.
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| Method Summary | |
| public String | getAlgorithm()
Returns the standard algorithm name for this key. | | public byte[] | getEncoded()
Returns the key in its primary encoding format, or null
if this key does not support encoding. | | public String | getFormat()
Returns the name of the primary encoding format of this key, or null
if this key does not support encoding. |
| getAlgorithm | | public String getAlgorithm()(Code) | | Returns the standard algorithm name for this key.
For example, "DSA" would indicate that this key is a DSA key.
See Appendix A in the Java Cryptography Architecture API
Specification & Reference for information about standard algorithm names
the name of the algorithm associated with this key. |
| getEncoded | | public byte[] getEncoded()(Code) | | Returns the key in its primary encoding format, or null
if this key does not support encoding.
the encoded key, or null if the key does not support encoding. |
| getFormat | | public String getFormat()(Code) | | Returns the name of the primary encoding format of this key, or null
if this key does not support encoding. The primary encoding format is
named in terms of the appropriate ASN.1 data format, if an ASN.1
specification for this key exists. For example, the name of the ASN.1
data format for public keys is SubjectPublicKeyInfo, as defined by
the X.509 standard; in this case, the returned format is
"X.509".
Similarly, the name of the ASN.1 data format for private keys is
PrivateKeyInfo, as defined by the PKCS #8 standard; in this case,
the returned format is "PKCS#8".
the primary encoding format of the key. |
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