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Tighten Data Security with the Java XML Digital Signature API

Before the release of Java Mustang, the Java XML Digital Signature API was known as JSR 105. This important security feature not only provides data integrity and security for XML data and binary data, it also allows you to generate and validate XML document XML signatures.

This article will demonstrate how to use this API by walking you through these tasks:

Generate an enveloped XML signature using KeyPairGenerator class
Generate an enveloped XML signature using X509 certificates
Generate an detached XML signature using KeyPairGenerator class
Generate an enveloping XML signature using KeyPairGenerator class
Validate an XML signature

Let's begin!

Java XML Digital Signature API Packages

It's beyond the scope of this article to provide a detailed presentation of all the classes directly implied when you generate or validate XML signatures. What follows is a description of the packages involved with this API (for more details, consult the official Java documentation):

javax.xml.crypto: This package contains the fundamental classes for XML cryptographic operations.

javax.xml.crypto.dsig.dom: This package contains DOM-specific classes for the javax.xml.crypto.dsig package. You will need this package because you will use its XMLSignatureFactory and KeyInfoFactory classes.

javax.xml.crypto.dom: This package contains DOM-specific classes for the javax.xml.crypto package. You'll the examples in this package with the XMLSignatureFactory and KeyInfoFactory classes.

javax.xml.crypto.disg: Many of the XML Digital Signature API's classes are from this package. The most important classes are: XMLSignature, SignedInfo, CanonicalizationMethod, SignatureMethod, Reference, DigestMethod, XMLObject, Manifest, SignatureProperties, and SignatureProperty.

javax.xml.crypto.dsig.keyinfo: This package contains classes for parsing and processing KeyInfo structures.

javax.xml.crypto.dsig.spec: This package contains classes representing input parameters for XML signatures.

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