Keys are used for XML signature and encryption.
Important: There is an important distinction between Version 5.x and
Version 6 and later applications. The information in this article supports
Version 5.x applications only that are used with WebSphere® Application
Server Version 6.0.x and later. The information does not apply to Version
6 and later applications.
There are two predominant kinds of keys used in the current Web services
security implementation:
- Public key - such as Rivest Shamir Adleman (RSA) encryption and Digital
Signature Algorithm (DSA) encryption
- Secret key - such as Data Encryption Standard (DES) encryption
In public key-based signature, a message is signed using the sender private
key and is verified using the sender public key. In public key-based encryption,
a message is encrypted using the receiver public key and is decrypted using
the receiver private key. In secret key-based signature and encryption, the
same key is used by both parties.
While the current implementation of Web services security can support both
kinds of keys, there are a few items to note:
- Secret key-based signature is not supported.
- The format of the message differs slightly between public key-based encryption
and secret key-based encryption.