JWK

JSON Web Key

Overview

• Definition: A JWK is a JSON data structure that represents a cryptographic key.

Standard Fields

These are the common parameters found in a JWK object:

• kty (Key Type): Identifies the cryptographic algorithm family used with the key.
  • Examples: EC (Elliptic Curve), RSA(RSA).
• use (Public Key Use): Identifies the intended use of the public key.
  • Examples: sig (Signing), enc (Encryption).
• alg (Algorithm): Identifies the algorithm intended for use with the key.
  • Examples: HS256, RS256, ES256.
• kid (Key ID): A unique identifier for the key (useful when rotating keys).

Key Type Specific Fields

Depending on the kty, specific Cryptography parameters are required:

For RSA Keys

• Required Parameters: n (modulus), e (exponent), d (private exponent).

For EC (Elliptic Curve) Keys

• Required Parameters: x, y (coordinates).

Important Note: These specific cryptographic values ($n, e, d, x, y$) are stored as Base64 encoded strings within the JSON object.