Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS) vs Sigstore
Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS)
certicom.com
Sigstore
sigstore.devSide by side
| Figure | Code Signing Key Management Server (CSKMS) | Sigstore |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 0 | 2 |
| Spec score · Code Signing Software | 7.4 (#19) | 8.3 (#7) |
| Founded | 1985 | 2021 |
| Purpose | CSKMS manages access to code-signing and encryption keys, signs software images, and can optionally encrypt them for target projects. | Sigstore is an open source project for improving software supply chain security. |
| 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. | Community support is provided through Slack and GitHub issues, with repository CODEOWNERS identifying project maintainers. |
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.
Sigstore
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.