Aujas Automated Code Signing Platform vs Sigstore

Aujas Automated Code Signing Platform, or CodeSign, manages signing requests across software build and release processes. It routes approvals for projects, builds, and certificates, and records approval and file-signing activity. Signing keys and certificates can be held in an HSM or secure keystore, with access limited to authorized users and machines for approved requests. The platform supports signing through command-line integration, including parallel submissions, and can be included in DevOps pipelines. Listed options include basic, GPG, hash, force, append, MAGE, and WHQL signing; a malware scanner can inspect files before signing. Certificate support includes self-signed, standard certificates from any CA, and Extended Validation certificates. Aujas lists more than 50 supported file types, with plugins to add types, and support for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Deployment choices include a customer data center, public cloud, and managed cloud hosting. CodeSign is paid, with pricing on request; Aujas offers a scheduled demo covering platform features, architecture, and application flow.

Sigstore is a free, open source project for signing and verifying software artifacts to improve supply chain security. It supports release files, container images, binaries, software bills of materials, and more. Signatures use temporary keys, so developers do not have to manage signing keys; events are recorded in a tamper-resistant public log for audit. Its components include Cosign, Fulcio, Rekor, OpenID Connect, and Policy Controller. Cosign signs and verifies artifacts and stores signatures in an OCI registry. Fulcio issues temporary certificates to authorized identities, while Rekor keeps signed metadata in a searchable ledger. OpenID Connect authenticates users through providers such as GitHub and Google. The trust root uses The Update Framework and is maintained by five keyholders from different companies and academic institutions. Sigstore provides GitHub Actions, documents GitLab CI installation, and offers official clients for Go, Java, JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and Rust. It supports API, Linux, macOS, Windows, and self-hosted environments. One integration caveat is that Cosign has no API stability guarantees, does not follow semantic versioning, and is not recommended for application integration because of its dependencies.