1 [[!meta title="Monkeysphere Validation Agent"]]
3 # Monkeysphere Validation Agent #
5 The Monkeysphere Validation Agent offers a local service for systems
6 to validate certificates (both X.509 and OpenPGP) and other public
7 keys in their proper contexts.
9 Among other reasons, having a validation agent is a good thing
12 * Multiple tools can rely on the same PKI (e.g. the user's web browser
13 and the user's ssh client).
14 * A single validation agent can present a consistent UI to the user
15 (when used in an end-user context), or provide a unified trust model
16 to various services (when used in a server-side context).
17 * Authentication/certificate validation code can potentially be
18 isolated to a protected environment.
22 There are currently two implementations of the validation agent:
29 The Monkeysphere Validation Agent protocol (MSVA) is defined as a
30 minimal HTTP server with JSON-encapsulated requests and responses.
31 You may want to read [more protocol details](protocol).