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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/tech-certificate-ca-binding

What does a public-key certificate bind together?

It binds a public key to a subject.

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  1. A public key and a subject ✔
  2. A MAC address and Wi-Fi channel
  3. A password and private key

Why: A certificate identifies a subject and contains that subject's public-key information. A trusted certificate authority digitally signs the certificate to assert that binding.

Huh, didn't know that: A certificate path can connect an end certificate through intermediate CAs to a trusted root.

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The certificate introduced the key and said, I can vouch for it.
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References

Answer: A public key and a subject. A certificate identifies a subject and contains that subject's public-key information. A trusted certificate authority digitally signs the certificate to assert that binding.

  1. RFC 5280: Internet X.509 Public Key Infrastructure Certificate Profile www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc5280.html
    public key certificates, which are data structures that bind public key values to subjects.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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