Authentication
Distinguish authentication, signature, sealing, mTLS, vaults and timestamping.
Authentication vs digital signature
Distinct goals: proving an identity at a given moment versus committing responsibility on a document.
Document sealing and integrity proof
Sealing mechanisms, timestamping (TSA) and later verification by a third party.
eIDAS: electronic signature levels
Simple, advanced and qualified signatures under Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 and the role of QTSPs.
Client certificates and mTLS authentication
Mutual TLS authentication, issuing client certificates and managing the lifecycle on the server side.
Key management and local vaults
Local secret storage, encryption at rest and separation of duties — general principles (segmented key: see product docs).
Timestamping and proof anchoring
Qualified timestamp authorities, RFC 3161 tokens and local anchoring when no TSA is reachable.