java.security (Java Platform SE 8 )
Keywords: java.security package
Date: 2026-03-16

# Package java.security

Provides the classes and interfaces for the security framework.

See: Description

- Interface Summary
  Interface | Description
  --- | ---
  AlgorithmConstraints | This interface specifies constraints for cryptographic algorithms, keys (key sizes), and other algorithm parameters.
  Certificate | Deprecated A new certificate handling package is created in the Java platform.
  DomainCombiner | A `DomainCombiner` provides a means to dynamically update the ProtectionDomains associated with the current `AccessControlContext`.
  Guard | This interface represents a guard, which is an object that is used to protect access to another object.
  Key | The Key interface is the top-level interface for all keys.
  KeyStore.Entry | A marker interface for `KeyStore` entry types.
  KeyStore.Entry.Attribute | An attribute associated with a keystore entry.
  KeyStore.LoadStoreParameter | A marker interface for `KeyStore` `load` and `store` parameters.
  KeyStore.ProtectionParameter | A marker interface for keystore protection parameters.
  Policy.Parameters | This represents a marker interface for Policy parameters.
  Principal | This interface represents the abstract notion of a principal, which can be used to represent any entity, such as an individual, a corporation, and a login id.
  PrivateKey | A private key.
  PrivilegedAction<T> | A computation to be performed with privileges enabled.
  PrivilegedExceptionAction<T> | A computation to be performed with privileges enabled, that throws one or more checked exceptions.
  PublicKey | A public key.

- Class Summary
  Class | Description
  --- | ---
  AccessControlContext | An AccessControlContext is used to make system resource access decisions based on the context it encapsulates.
  AccessController | The AccessController class is used for access control operations and decisions.
  AlgorithmParameterGenerator | The `AlgorithmParameterGenerator` class is used to generate a set of parameters to be used with a certain algorithm.
  AlgorithmParameterGeneratorSpi | This class defines the Service Provider Interface (SPI) for the `AlgorithmParameterGenerator` class, which is used to generate a set of parameters to be used with a certain algorithm.
  AlgorithmParameters | This class is used as an opaque representation of cryptographic parameters.
  AlgorithmParametersSpi | This class defines the Service Provider Interface (SPI) for the `AlgorithmParameters` class, which is used to manage algorithm parameters.
  AllPermission | The AllPermission is a permission that implies all other permissions.
  AuthProvider | This class defines login and logout methods for a provider.
  BasicPermission | The BasicPermission class extends the Permission class, and can be used as the base class for permissions that want to follow the same naming convention as BasicPermission.
  CodeSigner | This class encapsulates information about a code signer.
  CodeSource | This class extends the concept of a codebase to encapsulate not only the location (URL) but also the certificate chains that were used to verify signed code originating from that location.
  DigestInputStream | A transparent stream that updates the associated message digest using the bits going through the stream.
  DigestOutputStream | A transparent stream that updates the associated message digest using the bits going through the stream.
  DomainLoadStoreParameter | Configuration data that specifies the keystores in a keystore domain.
  GuardedObject | A GuardedObject is an object that is used to protect access to another object.
  Identity | Deprecated This class is no longer used.
  IdentityScope | Deprecated This class is no longer used.
  KeyFactory | Key factories are used to convert keys (opaque cryptographic keys of type `Key`) into key specifications (transparent representations of the underlying key material), and vice versa.
  KeyFactorySpi | This class defines the Service Provider Interface (SPI) for the `KeyFactory` class.
  KeyPair | This class is a simple holder for a key pair (a public key and a private key).
  KeyPairGenerator | The KeyPairGenerator class is used to generate pairs of public and private keys.
  KeyPairGeneratorSpi | This class defines the Service Provider Interface (SPI) for the `KeyPairGenerator` class, which is used to generate pairs of public and private keys.
  KeyRep | Standardized representation for serialized Key objects.
  KeyStore | This class represents a storage facility for cryptographic keys and certificates.
  KeyStore.Builder | A description of a to-be-instantiated KeyStore object.
  KeyStore.CallbackHandlerProtection | A ProtectionParameter encapsulating a CallbackHandler.
  KeyStore.PasswordProtection | A password-based implementation of `ProtectionParameter`.
  KeyStore.PrivateKeyEntry | A `KeyStore` entry that holds a `PrivateKey` and corresponding certificate chain.
  KeyStore.SecretKeyEntry | A `KeyStore` entry that holds a `SecretKey`.
  KeyStore.TrustedCertificateEntry | A `KeyStore` entry that holds a trusted `Certificate`.
  KeyStoreSpi | This class defines the Service Provider Interface (SPI) for the `KeyStore` class.
  MessageDigest | This MessageDigest class provides applications the functionality of a message digest algorithm, such as SHA-1 or SHA-256.
  MessageDigestSpi | This class defines the Service Provider Interface (SPI) for the `MessageDigest` class, which provides the functionality of a message digest algorithm, such as MD5 or SHA.
  Permission | Abstract class for representing access to a system resource.
  PermissionCollection | Abstract class representing a collection of Permission objects.
  Permissions | This class represents a heterogeneous collection of Permissions.
  PKCS12Attribute | An attribute associated with a PKCS12 keystore entry.
  Policy | A Policy object is responsible for determining whether code executing in the Java runtime environment has permission to perform a security-sensitive operation.
  PolicySpi | This class defines the Service Provider Interface (SPI) for the `Policy` class.
  ProtectionDomain | The ProtectionDomain class encapsulates the characteristics of a domain, which encloses a set of classes whose instances are granted a set of permissions when being executed on behalf of a given set of Principals.
  Provider | This class represents a "provider" for the Java Security API, where a provider implements some or all parts of Java Security.
  Provider.Service | The description of a security service.
  SecureClassLoader | This class extends ClassLoader with additional support for defining classes with an associated code source and permissions which are retrieved by the system policy by default.
  SecureRandom | This class provides a cryptographically strong random number generator (RNG).
  SecureRandomSpi | This class defines the Service Provider Interface (SPI) for the `SecureRandom` class.
  Security | This class centralizes all security properties and common security methods.
  SecurityPermission | This class is for security permissions.
  Signature | The Signature class is used to provide applications the functionality of a digital signature algorithm.
  SignatureSpi | This class defines the Service Provider Interface (SPI) for the `Signature` class, which is used to provide the functionality of a digital signature algorithm.
  SignedObject | SignedObject is a class for the purpose of creating authentic runtime objects whose integrity cannot be compromised without being detected.
  Signer | Deprecated This class is no longer used.
  Timestamp | This class encapsulates information about a signed timestamp.
  UnresolvedPermission | The UnresolvedPermission class is used to hold Permissions that were "unresolved" when the Policy was initialized.
  URIParameter | A parameter that contains a URI pointing to data intended for a PolicySpi or ConfigurationSpi implementation.

- Enum Summary
  Enum | Description
  --- | ---
  CryptoPrimitive | An enumeration of cryptographic primitives.
  KeyRep.Type | Key type.

- Exception Summary
  Exception | Description
  --- | ---
  AccessControlException | This exception is thrown by the AccessController to indicate that a requested access (to a critical system resource such as the file system or the network) is denied.
  DigestException | This is the generic Message Digest exception.
  GeneralSecurityException | The `GeneralSecurityException` class is a generic security exception class that provides type safety for all the security-related exception classes that extend from it.
  InvalidAlgorithmParameterException | This is the exception for invalid or inappropriate algorithm parameters.
  InvalidKeyException | This is the exception for invalid Keys (invalid encoding, wrong length, uninitialized, etc).
  InvalidParameterException | This exception, designed for use by the JCA/JCE engine classes, is thrown when an invalid parameter is passed to a method.
  KeyException | This is the basic key exception.
  KeyManagementException | This is the general key management exception for all operations dealing with key management.
  KeyStoreException | This is the generic KeyStore exception.
  NoSuchAlgorithmException | This exception is thrown when a particular cryptographic algorithm is requested but is not available in the environment.
  NoSuchProviderException | This exception is thrown when a particular security provider is requested but is not available in the environment.
  PrivilegedActionException | This exception is thrown by `doPrivileged(PrivilegedExceptionAction)` and `doPrivileged(PrivilegedExceptionAction, AccessControlContext context)` to indicate that the action being performed threw a checked exception.
  ProviderException | A runtime exception for Provider exceptions (such as misconfiguration errors or unrecoverable internal errors), which may be subclassed by Providers to throw specialized, provider-specific runtime errors.
  SignatureException | This is the generic Signature exception.
  UnrecoverableEntryException | This exception is thrown if an entry in the keystore cannot be recovered.
  UnrecoverableKeyException | This exception is thrown if a key in the keystore cannot be recovered.

## Package java.security Description

Provides the classes and interfaces for the security framework. This includes classes that implement an easily configurable, fine-grained access control security architecture. This package also supports the generation and storage of cryptographic public key pairs, as well as a number of exportable cryptographic operations including those for message digest and signature generation. Finally, this package provides classes that support signed/guarded objects and secure random number generation. Many of the classes provided in this package (the cryptographic and secure random number generator classes in particular) are provider-based. The class itself defines a programming interface to which applications may write. The implementations themselves may then be written by independent third-party vendors and plugged in seamlessly as needed. Therefore application developers may take advantage of any number of provider-based implementations without having to add or rewrite code.

## Package Specification

- Java™ Cryptography Architecture (JCA) Reference Guide
- PKCS #8: Private-Key Information Syntax Standard, Version 1.2, November 1993
- Java™ Cryptography Architecture Standard Algorithm Name Documentation

## Related Documentation

For further documentation, please see:

- Java™ SE Platform Security Architecture
- How to Implement a Provider in the Java™ Cryptography Architecture
- Default Policy Implementation and Policy File Syntax
- Permissions in the Java™ SE Development Kit (JDK)
- Summary of Tools for Java™ Platform Security
- keytool ( for Solaris/Linux) ( for Windows)
- jarsigner ( for Solaris/Linux) ( for Windows)

Since:
  1.1

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