Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS) vs OpenPubkey
Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS)
certicom.comOpenPubkey
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS) | OpenPubkey |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Code Signing Software | 7.4 (#19) | 8.3 (#6) |
| Integrations | It provides a RESTful API for code-signing clients and offers custom integration services. | The project identifies Docker as using OpenPubkey to sign Docker Official Images and BastionZero as using it for secure remote infrastructure access. |
| Purpose | CSKMS manages access to code-signing and encryption keys, signs software images, and can optionally encrypt them for target projects. | OpenPubkey binds user or workload identities to public keys through OpenID Connect, allowing identities to sign messages or artifacts. |
| Support | Certicom lists Standard and Premium support options; Premium support includes 7×24 hours and a stated response time of one business hour to one business day on its support-offerings page. | The project directs feature requests, bug reports, and technical questions to GitHub issues and points users to its OpenSSF Slack channel. |
Plans
Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS)
No plans published.
In their own words
Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS)
Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS) has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
OpenPubkey
OpenPubkey binds a user or workload identity established through OpenID Connect to a public key, so the identity can sign messages or artifacts. A PK Token represents control of an OIDC identity and its related private key at a particular time, provided the verifier trusts the identity provider. The project lists Google, Azure/Microsoft, Okta, OneLogin and Keycloak as compatible without changes to those providers; however, its client and verifier currently create and verify tokens from Google for users and GitHub for workloads. Current workload identity use requires GQ signatures. For user identity, they are unnecessary when the PK Token is not public. GQ signatures allow the identity provider’s signature to be stripped from an ID Token while preserving proof of that signature, preventing use against OIDC resource providers. OpenPubkey says it needs no additional certificate authority because the OpenID Provider fulfills that role. Public PK Tokens can reveal claims from an OIDC ID Token, potentially including a name or email address. The project is free under the Apache 2.0 license and is a Linux Foundation project; its repository says it is being prepared for version 1.0. The project directs technical questions to GitHub issues and offers a community Slack channel.