JSON Web Signature (JWS)
JSON Web Signature (JWS) is a compact format for representing content secured with digital signatures or Message Authentication Codes (MACs) using JSON data structures and base64url encoding.[1][2] It consists of three parts: a JWS Header describing the cryptographic operation, a JWS Payload…
Key facts
- First appeared
- 2011
- Category
- technology
- Problem solved
- JWS solved the need for a compact, JSON-based method to digitally sign arbitrary content for transmission in space-constrained environments like HTTP Authorization headers and URI parameters, providing integrity via signatures or MACs where binary formats like CMS were too verbose and XMLDSig too heavyweight for web/REST APIs.[1][2]
- Platforms
- Any platform with JSON and crypto libraries (JavaScript, Java, Python, Go, etc.)
Related technologies
Notable users
- Auth0
- Okta
- Ping Identity
- Microsoft