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.. _mozilla_projects_nss_overview:
Overview of NSS
===============
.. container::
.. rubric:: Open Source Crypto Libraries
:name: Open_Source_Crypto_Libraries
.. _proven_application_security_architecture:
`Proven Application Security Architecture <#proven_application_security_architecture>`__
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.. container::
If you want to add support for SSL, S/MIME, or other Internet security standards to your
application, you can use Network Security Services (NSS) to implement all your security features.
NSS provides a complete open-source implementation of the crypto libraries used by AOL, Red Hat,
Google, and other companies in a variety of products, including the following:
- AOL Instant Messenger (AIM)
Certificate
module for the Apache web server.
- Server products from Oracle (formerly Sun Java Enterprise System), including `Oracle
Communications Messaging
Server <https://www.oracle.com/industries/communications/enterprise/products/messaging-server/index.html>`__
and `Oracle Directory Server Enterprise
`mod_nss <https://documentation.suse.com/sles/11-SP4/html/SLES-all/cha-apache2.html#sec-apache2-nss>`__
SSL module for the Apache web server.
NSS includes a framework to which developers and OEMs can contribute patches, such as assembler
code, to optimize performance on their platforms. NSS 3.x has been certified on 18 platforms.
and `NSS FAQ <NSS_FAQ>`__.
Source code for a Java interface to NSS is available in the Mozilla CVS tree. For details, see
`Network Security Services for Java <JSS>`__.
NSS makes use of Netscape Portable Runtime
open-source API for system functions designed to facilitate cross-platform development. Like NSS,
NSPR has been battle-tested in multiple products. For more information, see the `NSPR Project
.. _interoperability_and_open_standards:
`Interoperability and Open Standards <#interoperability_and_open_standards>`__
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.. container::
You can use NSS to support a range of security standards in your application, including the
following:
- `SSL v3 </en-US/Glossary#SSL>`__. The Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) protocol allows mutual
authentication between a client and server and the establishment of an authenticated and
encrypted connection.
protocol from the IETF that supersedes SSL.
governs implementation of public-key cryptography based on the RSA algorithm.
governs implementation of Diffie-Hellman key agreement.
governs password-based cryptography, for example to encrypt private keys for storage.
governs the application of cryptography to data, for example digital signatures and digital
envelopes.
governs the storage and encryption of private keys.
governs selected attribute types, including those used with PKCS #7, PKCS #8, and PKCS #10.
governs the syntax for certificate requests.
governs communication with cryptographic tokens (such as hardware accelerators and smart
cards) and permits application independence from specific algorithms and implementations.
governs the format used to store or transport private keys, certificates, and other secret
material.
- `S/MIME (RFC 2311 and RFC 2633) </en-US/Glossary#S.2FMIME>`__. IETF message specification
(based on the popular Internet MIME standard) that provides a consistent way to send and
receive signed and encrypted MIME data.
ITU standard that governs the format of certificates used for authentication in public-key
cryptography.
- `OCSP (RFC 2560) </en-US/Glossary#OCSP>`__. The Online Certificate Status Protocol (OCSP)
governs real-time confirmation of certificate validity.
standard under development by the Public-Key Infrastructure (X.509) working group of the IETF
(known at PKIX) for a public-key infrastructure for the Internet.
- RSA, DSA, ECDSA, Diffie-Hellman, EC Diffie-Hellman,
RC4, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, MD2, MD5, HMAC: Common cryptographic algorithms used in
public-key and symmetric-key cryptography.
- FIPS 186-2 pseudorandom number generator.
For complete details, see `Encryption
Technologies <https://www.mozilla.org/projects/security/pki/nss/nss-3.11/nss-3.11-algorithms.html>`__.
.. _fips_140_validation_and_niscc_testing:
`FIPS 140 Validation and NISCC Testing <#fips_140_validation_and_niscc_testing>`__
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.. container::
The NSS software crypto module has been validated three times for conformance to FIPS 140 at
Security Levels 1 and 2. For more information, see the `NSS FIPS <FIPS_Mode_-_an_explanation>`__
The NSS libraries passed the NISCC
million test cases of invalid input data).
.. _complete_software_development_kit:
`Complete Software Development Kit <#complete_software_development_kit>`__
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.. container::
In addition to libraries and APIs, NSS provides :ref:`mozilla_projects_nss_tools` required for
debugging, diagnostics, certificate and key management, cryptography module management, and other
development tasks.
NSS comes with an extensive and growing set of :ref:`mozilla_projects_nss#documentation`,
including introductory material, API references, man pages for command-line tools, and
:ref:`mozilla_projects_nss_nss_sample_code`.
NSS is available as source and shared (dynamic) libraries. Every NSS release is backward
compatible with previous releases, allowing NSS users to upgrade to the new NSS shared libraries
without recompiling or relinking their applications.
.. _open-source_licensing_and_distribution:
`Open-Source Licensing and Distribution <#open-source_licensing_and_distribution>`__
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
.. container::
mirror sites.