Digital Signature

webPDF uses the "Signature" web service to provide the option of inserting digital signatures into PDF documents.

API {REST}: /signature

Using a digital signature, i.e. the use of an encryption method, causes the current status of a document to be recorded. This marks the authorship of a document and all further modifications to the document can be recognized. It is also possible to insert multiple signatures in the document or to finally certify a document. After this, no further modifications can be made to the document.

Digital signatures (or also electronic signatures) use a key pair which consists of a private (secret) signature key and a public key (verification key). The terms typically employed here are “private key” and “public key”.

webPDF will need an X.509 certificate with private keys in order to create an electronic signature. The certificate and the private keys must be made available to webPDF via a keystore file.

The certificate and the private key must be provided to webPDF either

a) be provided via a keystore file or
b) be provided directly as PEM data during the web service call.

webPDF creates signatures for PDF documents based on an asymmetric encryption scheme also known as "public key cryptography."

caution

As of this writing, webPDF can generate qualified electronic signatures only if the required certificates can be provided on the server on an appropriate medium (e.g., file) and it is possible to configure access to them on the server.