Notes on OpenPGP

An introduction to the concepts of OpenPGP, aimed mainly at software developers who are looking to use OpenPGP functionality in their projects.

This document describes OpenPGP version 6, with occasional remarks about differences to earlier versions.

This text is not intended as a guide for end-users who use OpenPGP-related software.

What is OpenPGP?

OpenPGP is an open standard for cryptographic operations. It has grown out of the "Pretty Good Privacy (PGP)" software.

OpenPGP is an open standard, there are many widely used (and interoperable) implementations.