Known Indirect Subclasses
  
      
          
            
              DHPrivateKey,
            
               DHPublicKey,
            
               DSAPrivateKey,
            
               DSAPublicKey,
            
               ECPrivateKey,
            
               ECPublicKey,
            
               PBEKey,
            
               PrivateKey,
            
               PublicKey,
            
               RSAMultiPrimePrivateCrtKey,
            
               RSAPrivateCrtKey,
            
               RSAPrivateKey,
            
               RSAPublicKey,
            
               SecretKey,
            
               SecretKeySpec
            
          
       
      
  
        
              | DHPrivateKey | 
              The interface for a private key in the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol.  | 
           
        
              | DHPublicKey | 
              The interface for a public key in the Diffie-Hellman key exchange protocol.  | 
           
        
              | DSAPrivateKey | 
              The interface for a Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) private key.  | 
           
        
              | DSAPublicKey | 
              The interface for a Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) public key.  | 
           
        
              | ECPrivateKey | 
              The interface for an Elliptic Curve (EC) private key.  | 
           
        
              | ECPublicKey | 
              The interface for an Elliptic Curve (EC) public key.  | 
           
        
              | PBEKey | 
              The interface to a password-based-encryption  key.  | 
           
        
              | PrivateKey | 
              PrivateKey is the common interface for private keys.  | 
           
        
              | PublicKey | 
              PublicKey is the common interface for public keys.  | 
           
        
              | RSAMultiPrimePrivateCrtKey | 
              The interface for a Multi-Prime RSA private key.  | 
           
        
              | RSAPrivateCrtKey | 
              The interface for a PKCS#1 RSA private key using CRT information values.  | 
           
        
              | RSAPrivateKey | 
              The interface for an PKCS#1 RSA private key.  | 
           
        
              | RSAPublicKey | 
              The interface for a PKCS#1 RSA public key.  | 
           
        
              | SecretKey | 
              A cryptographic secret (symmetric) key.  | 
           
        
              | SecretKeySpec | 
              A key specification for a SecretKey and also a secret key
 implementation that is provider-independent.  | 
           
   
       
   
 | 
Class Overview
Key is the common interface for all keys.
  
 
Summary
| Constants | 
    
    
        | long | 
        serialVersionUID | 
        The serialVersionUID to be compatible with JDK1.1. | 
    
    
    
| Public Methods | 
	 
    
        | 
            abstract
            
            
            
            
            String
         | 
        
        getAlgorithm()
        
         Returns the name of the algorithm of this key. 
  
   | 
	 
    
        | 
            abstract
            
            
            
            
            byte[]
         | 
        
        getEncoded()
        
         Returns the encoded form of this key, or null if encoding is not
 supported by this key. 
  
   | 
	 
    
        | 
            abstract
            
            
            
            
            String
         | 
        
        getFormat()
        
         Returns the name of the format used to encode this key, or null
 if it can not be encoded. 
  
   | 
 
Constants
 
    
      
        public 
        static 
        final 
        long
      
        serialVersionUID
    
      
    
      
  The serialVersionUID to be compatible with JDK1.1.
 
    
        
        Constant Value: 
        
            
                6603384152749567654
                (0x5ba3eee69414eea6)
            
        
        
    
     
 
Public Methods
 
    
      
        public 
         
         
        abstract 
         
        String
      
      getAlgorithm
      ()
    
      
    
      
  Returns the name of the algorithm of this key. If the algorithm is
 unknown, null is returned.
 
  
      Returns
      - the name of the algorithm of this key or 
null if the
         algorithm is unknown.
 
   
     
 
 
    
      
        public 
         
         
        abstract 
         
        byte[]
      
      getEncoded
      ()
    
      
    
      
  Returns the encoded form of this key, or null if encoding is not
 supported by this key.
 
  
      Returns
      - the encoded form of this key, or 
null if encoding is not
         supported by this key.
 
   
     
 
 
    
      
        public 
         
         
        abstract 
         
        String
      
      getFormat
      ()
    
      
    
      
  Returns the name of the format used to encode this key, or null
 if it can not be encoded.
 
  
      Returns
      - the name of the format used to encode this key, or 
null
         if it can not be encoded.