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improve header and intro of fingerprints and Key IDs

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Tammi L. Coles 2024-02-15 14:37:17 +01:00
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book/source/adv/certificates.md
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@ -198,13 +198,11 @@ gpg --export-options export-minimal,export-clean,no-export-attributes \
The process significantly reduces the certificate size from 152,322 bytes to just 3,771 bytes, demonstrating a substantial decrease in size by over 40 times. Such minimization is particularly crucial in contexts with strict size limitations, like embedding certificate data in email headers.
## Fingerprints and beyond: "Naming" certificates in user-facing contexts
## Identifying certificates: Fingerprints and Key IDs
Certificates in OpenPGP have traditionally often been "named" using hexadecimal strings of varying length.
OpenPGP certificates are uniquely identified through fingerprints and Key IDs, derived from the public key material. Over time, OpenPGP's approach to identifying certificates through fingerprints and key IDs has adapted to meet increasing demands for more secure and efficient certificate management.
For example, a business card might have shown the hexadecimal fingerprint of a person's OpenPGP certificate to facilitate secure communication. Over time, different formats and lengths for these identifiers have been used.
This section outlines the various ways in which certificates can be named, and their properties.
This section delves into the evolution of these identifiers, their practical application across various platforms, and their critical role in facilitating the lookup of OpenPGP certificates by email. By serving as reliable methods for distinguishing and referencing certificates, fingerprints and Key IDs are instrumental in the verification, distribution, and management of OpenPGP certificates within the cryptographic community.
### Fingerprints and Key IDs in Version 4