AWS Signer vs SignPath Foundation

AWS Signer is a managed code-signing service for verifying code integrity and publisher trust. It supports signing AWS Lambda deployment packages, code for supported IoT devices, and OCI container images using Notation. Lambda verifies signatures and package integrity when signed code is deployed. For containers, Signer works with Notation in registries such as Amazon ECR, with signatures stored alongside images for verification.

Administrators control access to Signer resources and actions through AWS Identity and Access Management policies. Signing profiles can be managed in the Signer console, AWS CLI, or API. Signer manages certificates and keys for Lambda and container workflows; IoT workflows can use a code-signing certificate imported into AWS Certificate Manager. Documentation also lists integrations with AWS Certificate Manager and CloudTrail, plus Amazon EKS image verification. Notation CLI and Signer plugin installers are listed for Linux, macOS, and Windows. API actions have per-second quotas by account and Region, with no minimum request rate. Use with specified AWS services has no additional charge, though related charges may apply.

SignPath Foundation provides code-signing certificates to eligible open-source projects, with signing carried out through SignPath.io. For each release, SignPath.io checks that signed files are automated builds from the project’s stated source repository. Certificate private keys are generated and stored on a hardware security module. Each signing request requires a team member’s approval, and every release requires manual approval. Projects must assign author, reviewer, and approver responsibilities, while all team members must use multi-factor authentication for SignPath and repository access. Eligibility requires an actively maintained project with an existing release, an OSI-approved open-source license, and no proprietary code or malware. Supported build systems include Jenkins, GitHub, GitLab, Azure DevOps, TeamCity, and AppVeyor. Supported targets span Windows executables and scripts, MSI, CAB, AppX/MSIX, NuGet, Java archives, Android packages, RPM and Debian packages, Office macros, XML, JSON, OCI container images, ClickOnce, and other files. The free plan is free for eligible projects. Its certificate identifies SignPath Foundation as publisher, and the Foundation may decline applications.