Class CertPath

java.lang.Object
java.security.cert.CertPath
All Implemented Interfaces:
Serializable
public abstract classCertPathextendsObjectimplementsSerializable
An immutable sequence of certificates (a certification path).

This is an abstract class that defines the methods common to allCertPaths. Subclasses can handle different kinds of certificates (X.509, PGP, etc.).

AllCertPath objects have a type, a list ofCertificates, and one or more supported encodings. Because theCertPath class is immutable, aCertPath cannot change in any externally visible way after being constructed. This stipulation applies to all public fields and methods of this class and any added or overridden by subclasses.

The type is aString that identifies the type ofCertificates in the certification path. For each certificatecert in a certification pathcertPath,cert.getType().equals(certPath.getType()) must betrue.

The list ofCertificates is an orderedList of zero or moreCertificates. ThisList and all of theCertificates contained in it must be immutable.

EachCertPath object must support one or more encodings so that the object can be translated into a byte array for storage or transmission to other parties. Preferably, these encodings should be well-documented standards (such as PKCS#7). One of the encodings supported by aCertPath is considered the default encoding. This encoding is used if no encoding is explicitly requested (for thegetEncoded() method, for instance).

AllCertPath objects are alsoSerializable.CertPath objects are resolved into an alternateCertPathRep object during serialization. This allows aCertPath object to be serialized into an equivalent representation regardless of its underlying implementation.

CertPath objects can be created with aCertificateFactory or they can be returned by other classes, such as aCertPathBuilder.

By convention, X.509CertPaths (consisting ofX509Certificates), are ordered starting with the target certificate and ending with a certificate issued by the trust anchor. That is, the issuer of one certificate is the subject of the following one. The certificate representing theTrustAnchor should not be included in the certification path. Unvalidated X.509CertPaths may not follow these conventions. PKIXCertPathValidators will detect any departure from these conventions that cause the certification path to be invalid and throw aCertPathValidatorException.

Every implementation of the Java platform is required to support the following standardCertPath encodings:

  • PKCS7
  • PkiPath
These encodings are described in the CertPath Encodings section of the Java Security Standard Algorithm Names Specification. Consult the release documentation for your implementation to see if any other encodings are supported.

Concurrent Access

AllCertPath objects must be thread-safe. That is, multiple threads may concurrently invoke the methods defined in this class on a singleCertPath object (or more than one) with no ill effects. This is also true for theList returned byCertPath.getCertificates.

RequiringCertPath objects to be immutable and thread-safe allows them to be passed around to various pieces of code without worrying about coordinating access. Providing this thread-safety is generally not difficult, since theCertPath andList objects in question are immutable.

Since:
1.4
See Also:

  • Nested Class Summary

    Nested Classes
    Modifier and Type
    Class
    Description
    protected static class 
    AlternateCertPath class for serialization.

  • Constructor Summary

    Constructors
    Modifier
    Constructor
    Description
    protected
    Creates aCertPath of the specified type.

  • Method Summary

    Modifier and Type
    Method
    Description
    boolean
    equals(Object other)
    Compares this certification path for equality with the specified object.
    abstractList<? extendsCertificate>
    Returns the list of certificates in this certification path.
    abstract byte[]
    Returns the encoded form of this certification path, using the default encoding.
    abstract byte[]
    getEncoded(String encoding)
    Returns the encoded form of this certification path, using the specified encoding.
    abstractIterator<String>
    Returns an iteration of the encodings supported by this certification path, with the default encoding first.
    Returns the type ofCertificates in this certification path.
    int
    Returns the hashcode value for this certification path.
    Returns a string representation of this certification path.
    protectedObject
    Replaces theCertPath to be serialized with aCertPathRep object containing theCertificate type and encoded bytes of theCertPath.

    Methods declared in class java.lang.Object

    clone,finalize,getClass,notify,notifyAll,wait,wait,wait

  • Constructor Details

    • CertPath

      protected CertPath(String type)
      Creates aCertPath of the specified type.

      This constructor is protected because most users should use aCertificateFactory to createCertPaths.

      Parameters:
      type - the standard name of the type ofCertificates in this path

  • Method Details

    • getType

      public String getType()
      Returns the type ofCertificates in this certification path. This is the same string that would be returned bycert.getType() for allCertificates in the certification path.
      Returns:
      the type ofCertificates in this certification path (never null)

    • getEncodings

      public abstract Iterator<String> getEncodings()
      Returns an iteration of the encodings supported by this certification path, with the default encoding first. Attempts to modify the returnedIterator via itsremove method result in anUnsupportedOperationException.
      Returns:
      anIterator over the names of the supported encodings (as Strings)

    • equals

      public boolean equals(Object other)
      Compares this certification path for equality with the specified object. TwoCertPaths are equal if and only if their types are equal and their certificateLists (and by implication theCertificates in thoseLists) are equal. ACertPath is never equal to an object that is not aCertPath.

      This algorithm is implemented by this method. If it is overridden, the behavior specified here must be maintained.

      Overrides:
      equals in class Object
      Parameters:
      other - the object to test for equality with this certification path
      Returns:
      true if the specified object is equal to this certification path, false otherwise
      See Also:

    • hashCode

      public int hashCode()
      Returns the hashcode value for this certification path. The hash code of a certification path is defined to be the result of the following calculation:
        hashCode = path.getType().hashCode();  hashCode = 31*hashCode + path.getCertificates().hashCode();
      This ensures thatpath1.equals(path2) implies thatpath1.hashCode()==path2.hashCode() for any two certification paths,path1 andpath2, as required by the general contract ofObject.hashCode.
      Overrides:
      hashCode in class Object
      Returns:
      the hashcode value for this certification path
      See Also:

    • toString

      public String toString()
      Returns a string representation of this certification path. This calls thetoString method on each of theCertificates in the path.
      Overrides:
      toString in class Object
      Returns:
      a string representation of this certification path

    • getEncoded

      public abstract byte[] getEncoded() throwsCertificateEncodingException
      Returns the encoded form of this certification path, using the default encoding.
      Returns:
      the encoded bytes
      Throws:
      CertificateEncodingException - if an encoding error occurs

    • getEncoded

      public abstract byte[] getEncoded(String encoding) throwsCertificateEncodingException
      Returns the encoded form of this certification path, using the specified encoding.
      Parameters:
      encoding - the name of the encoding to use
      Returns:
      the encoded bytes
      Throws:
      CertificateEncodingException - if an encoding error occurs or the encoding requested is not supported

    • getCertificates

      public abstract List<? extendsCertificate> getCertificates()
      Returns the list of certificates in this certification path. TheList returned must be immutable and thread-safe.
      Returns:
      an immutableList ofCertificates (may be empty, but not null)

    • writeReplace

      protected Object writeReplace() throwsObjectStreamException
      Replaces theCertPath to be serialized with aCertPathRep object containing theCertificate type and encoded bytes of theCertPath.
      Returns:
      aCertPathRep containing theCertificate type and encoded bytes of theCertPath
      Throws:
      ObjectStreamException - if aCertPathRep object representing this certification path could not be created