public abstract class Signer
extends Identity



This class was deprecated in API level 3.
This class is deprecated and subject to removal in a future version of Java SE. It has been replaced by java.security.KeyStore, the java.security.cert package, and java.security.Principal.

This class is used to represent an Identity that can also digitally sign data.

The management of a signer's private keys is an important and sensitive issue that should be handled by subclasses as appropriate to their intended use.

Summary

Public constructors

Signer(String name)

Creates a signer with the specified identity name.

Signer(String name, IdentityScope scope)

Creates a signer with the specified identity name and scope.

Protected constructors

Signer()

Creates a signer.

Public methods

PrivateKey getPrivateKey()

Returns this signer's private key.

final void setKeyPair(KeyPair pair)

Sets the key pair (public key and private key) for this signer.

String toString()

Returns a string of information about the signer.

Inherited methods

From class java.security.Identity

void addCertificate(Certificate certificate)

Adds a certificate for this identity.

Certificate[] certificates()

Returns a copy of all the certificates for this identity.

final boolean equals(Object identity)

Tests for equality between the specified object and this identity.

String getInfo()

Returns general information previously specified for this identity.

final String getName()

Returns this identity's name.

PublicKey getPublicKey()

Returns this identity's public key.

final IdentityScope getScope()

Returns this identity's scope.

int hashCode()

Returns a hashcode for this identity.

boolean identityEquals(Identity identity)

Tests for equality between the specified identity and this identity.

void removeCertificate(Certificate certificate)

Removes a certificate from this identity.

void setInfo(String info)

Specifies a general information string for this identity.

void setPublicKey(PublicKey key)

Sets this identity's public key.

String toString()

Returns a short string describing this identity, telling its name and its scope (if any).

String toString(boolean detailed)

Returns a string representation of this identity, with optionally more details than that provided by the toString method without any arguments.

From class java.lang.Object

Object clone()

Creates and returns a copy of this object.

boolean equals(Object obj)

Indicates whether some other object is "equal to" this one.

void finalize()

Called by the garbage collector on an object when garbage collection determines that there are no more references to the object.

final Class<?> getClass()

Returns the runtime class of this Object.

int hashCode()

Returns a hash code value for the object.

final void notify()

Wakes up a single thread that is waiting on this object's monitor.

final void notifyAll()

Wakes up all threads that are waiting on this object's monitor.

String toString()

Returns a string representation of the object.

final void wait(long timeoutMillis, int nanos)

Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted, or until a certain amount of real time has elapsed.

final void wait(long timeoutMillis)

Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted, or until a certain amount of real time has elapsed.

final void wait()

Causes the current thread to wait until it is awakened, typically by being notified or interrupted.

From interface java.security.Principal

abstract boolean equals(Object another)

Compares this principal to the specified object.

abstract String getName()

Returns the name of this principal.

abstract int hashCode()

Returns a hashcode for this principal.

default boolean implies(Subject subject)

Returns true if the specified subject is implied by this principal.

abstract String toString()

Returns a string representation of this principal.

Public constructors

Signer

public Signer (String name)

Creates a signer with the specified identity name.

Parameters
name String: the identity name.

Signer

public Signer (String name, 
                IdentityScope scope)

Creates a signer with the specified identity name and scope.

Parameters
name String: the identity name.
scope IdentityScope: the scope of the identity.
Throws
KeyManagementException if there is already an identity with the same name in the scope.

Protected constructors

Signer

protected Signer ()

Creates a signer. This constructor should only be used for serialization.

Public methods

getPrivateKey

public PrivateKey getPrivateKey ()

Returns this signer's private key.

First, if there is a security manager, its checkSecurityAccess method is called with "getSignerPrivateKey" as its argument to see if it's ok to return the private key.

Returns
PrivateKey this signer's private key, or null if the private key has not yet been set.
Throws
SecurityException if a security manager exists and its checkSecurityAccess method doesn't allow returning the private key.

setKeyPair

public final void setKeyPair (KeyPair pair)

Sets the key pair (public key and private key) for this signer.

First, if there is a security manager, its checkSecurityAccess method is called with "setSignerKeyPair" as its argument to see if it's ok to set the key pair.

Parameters
pair KeyPair: an initialized key pair.
Throws
SecurityException if a security manager exists and its checkSecurityAccess method doesn't allow setting the key pair.
InvalidParameterException if the key pair is not properly initialized.
KeyException if the key pair cannot be set for any other reason.

toString

public String toString ()

Returns a string of information about the signer.

Returns
String a string of information about the signer.

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Last updated 2026-02-26 UTC.