SignPath vs SignPath Foundation

SignPath provides code signing and software integrity controls for builds and releases. Its format-aware signing covers executables, packages, installers, containers, scripts, manifests, SBOMs, and configuration files. Before trusting a release, it can verify source repositories, branches, build systems, approvals, and CI/CD context. SignPath can produce signed, machine-readable attestations, including SLSA provenance, validation summaries, and signed SBOMs. Listed integrations include plugins and REST API connections for GitHub Actions, GitLab, Jenkins, Azure DevOps, and TeamCity. SignPath says private keys remain in FIPS-compliant hardware security modules and are never exposed or shared. Role-based controls determine who can sign which artifacts and with which certificate. Signing records include the user, file, certificate, policy, and result; reports can be exported, with optional WORM-style log archiving. Deployment options are SaaS, self-hosted, or hybrid. The free Open Source Code Signing plan has eligibility conditions: projects must be actively maintained and released, use an OSI-approved open source license, and have no proprietary components.

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.