What is a Digital Certificate?

Digital Certificate

A digital certificate is an electronic document used to establish trust and verify identities in secure communications. It contains information such as the certificate holder’s name, a serial number, the expiration date, and a copy of the holder’s public key.

Digital certificates are issued and signed by a Certificate Authority (CA), which validates the certificate holder’s identity. They are commonly used in SSL/TLS to secure websites, for encrypting email communications, and in code signing.

Digital certificates form the basis of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) and play a critical role in enabling secure online transactions.