Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
PKI is the system of certificates, CAs, and processes used to manage public-key cryptography at scale.
Updated: 2026-03-05
Definition
PKI enables secure communication and identity verification using digital certificates issued by Certificate Authorities (CAs).
It supports use-cases like TLS for HTTPS, code signing, and device authentication.
Key points
- CAs issue certificates that bind identity to public keys
- Trust chains and revocation are core concepts
- Used heavily in TLS
Common mistakes
- Thinking a certificate equals encryption by itself (it enables trust/key exchange).
- Ignoring revocation/expiration management.
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