To communicate with others you must exchange public keys. To list the keys on your public keyring use the command-line option --list-keys.
alice% gpg --list-keys /users/alice/.gnupg/pubring.gpg --------------------------------------- pub 1024D/BB7576AC 1999-06-04 Alice (Judge) <alice@cyb.org> sub 1024g/78E9A8FA 1999-06-04 |
To send your public key to a correspondent you must first export it. The command-line option --export is used to do this. It takes an additional argument identifying the public key to export. As with the --gen-revoke option, either the key ID or any part of the user ID may be used to identify the key to export.
alice% gpg --output alice.gpg --export alice@cyb.org |
The key is exported in a binary format, but this can be inconvenient when the key is to be sent though email or published on a web page. GnuPG therefore supports a command-line option --armor[1] that that causes output to be generated in an ASCII-armored format similar to uuencoded documents. In general, any output from GnuPG, e.g., keys, encrypted documents, and signatures, can be ASCII-armored by adding the --armor option.
alice% gpg --armor --export alice@cyb.org -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: GnuPG v0.9.7 (GNU/Linux) Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org [...] -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- |
A public key may be added to your public keyring with the --import option.
alice% gpg --import blake.gpg gpg: key 9E98BC16: public key imported gpg: Total number processed: 1 gpg: imported: 1 alice% gpg --list-keys /users/alice/.gnupg/pubring.gpg --------------------------------------- pub 1024D/BB7576AC 1999-06-04 Alice (Judge) <alice@cyb.org> sub 1024g/78E9A8FA 1999-06-04 pub 1024D/9E98BC16 1999-06-04 Blake (Executioner) <blake@cyb.org> sub 1024g/5C8CBD41 1999-06-04 |
Once a key is imported it should be validated. GnuPG uses a powerful and flexible trust model that does not require you to personally validate each key you import. Some keys may need to be personally validated, however. A key is validated by verifying the key's fingerprint and then signing the key to certify it as a valid key. A key's fingerprint can be quickly viewed with the --fingerprint command-line option, but in order to certify the key you must edit it.
alice% gpg --edit-key blake@cyb.org
pub 1024D/9E98BC16 created: 1999-06-04 expires: never trust: -/q
sub 1024g/5C8CBD41 created: 1999-06-04 expires: never
(1) Blake (Executioner) <blake@cyb.org>
Command> fpr
pub 1024D/9E98BC16 1999-06-04 Blake (Executioner) <blake@cyb.org>
Fingerprint: 268F 448F CCD7 AF34 183E 52D8 9BDE 1A08 9E98 BC16 |
After checking the fingerprint, you may sign the key to validate it. Since key verification is a weak point in public-key cryptography, you should be extremely careful and always check a key's fingerprint with the owner before signing the key.
Command> sign
pub 1024D/9E98BC16 created: 1999-06-04 expires: never trust: -/q
Fingerprint: 268F 448F CCD7 AF34 183E 52D8 9BDE 1A08 9E98 BC16
Blake (Executioner) <blake@cyb.org>
Are you really sure that you want to sign this key
with your key: "Alice (Judge) <alice@cyb.org>"
Really sign? |
Once signed you can check the key to list the signatures on it and see the signature that you have added. Every user ID on the key will have one or more self-signatures as well as a signature for each user that has validated the key.
Command> check uid Blake (Executioner) <blake@cyb.org> sig! 9E98BC16 1999-06-04 [self-signature] sig! BB7576AC 1999-06-04 Alice (Judge) <alice@cyb.org> |
| [1] | Many command-line options that are frequently used can also be set in a configuration file. |