endesive

endesive is a Python library for creating and verifying digital signatures in:

• PDF documents (CMS/CAdES detached signatures, Adobe-compatible)
• S/MIME messages (sign, verify, encrypt, decrypt)
• Plain data streams (CMS detached signatures)
• XML documents (XAdES BES/T, enveloped and enveloping)

The project also provides PKCS#11/HSM integration and a large set of runnable examples.

Features

• PDF signing and verification with optional TSA timestamping and OCSP data
• S/MIME signing/verification and envelope encryption/decryption
• CMS detached signatures for arbitrary binary/text payloads
• XAdES BES/T generation for XML workflows
• Hardware-backed signing through PKCS#11 (PyKCS11) and SSH agent support (paramiko)
• Verification result model exposing signature, hash, certificate, OCSP and TSP statuses

Installation

Python requirement: 3.11+

pip install endesive

From source:

pip install -e .

Development extras:

pip install -e ".[dev,docs]"

Package Overview

• endesive.pdf
  • endesive.pdf.cms.sign(...)
  • endesive.pdf.verify(...)
  • endesive.pdf.PDFVerifier
• endesive.email
  • endesive.email.sign(...)
  • endesive.email.verify(...)
  • endesive.email.encrypt(...)
  • endesive.email.decrypt(...)
• endesive.plain
  • endesive.plain.sign(...)
  • endesive.plain.verify(...)
• endesive.xades
  • endesive.xades.BES
• endesive.hsm
  • endesive.hsm.HSM

Quick Start

1) Sign a PDF

import datetime
from cryptography.hazmat import backends
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.serialization import pkcs12
from endesive.pdf import cms

with open("cert.p12", "rb") as fp:
    key, cert, cert_chain = pkcs12.load_key_and_certificates(
        fp.read(), b"password", backends.default_backend()
    )

with open("input.pdf", "rb") as fp:
    pdf_data = fp.read()

signing_date = datetime.datetime.now(datetime.UTC).strftime("D:%Y%m%d%H%M%S+00'00'")

pdf_signature_meta = {
    "sigpage": 0,
    "reason": "Approval",
    "location": "HQ",
    "contact": "security@example.com",
    "signingdate": signing_date,
}

signature_block = cms.sign(
    pdf_data,
    pdf_signature_meta,
    key,
    cert,
    cert_chain or [],
    "sha256",
)

with open("output-signed.pdf", "wb") as fp:
    fp.write(pdf_data)
    fp.write(signature_block)

2) Verify a PDF signature

from endesive import pdf

trusted_certs = [open("ca-root.pem", "rb").read()]
signed_pdf = open("output-signed.pdf", "rb").read()

result, unsigned_tail = pdf.verify(signed_pdf, trusted_certs)

print("signature ok:", result.signatureok)
print("hash ok:", result.hashok)
print("certificate ok:", result.certok)
print("ocsp ok:", result.ocspok)
print("tsp ok:", result.tspok)
print("remaining unsigned data:", unsigned_tail is not None)

3) Sign/verify plain data (CMS detached)

from endesive import plain

# detached_sig = plain.sign(data_bytes, private_key, certificate, cert_chain)
# verify_result = plain.verify(detached_sig, data_bytes, trusted_certs)

4) S/MIME operations

from endesive import email

# signed_message = email.sign(data_bytes, private_key, certificate, cert_chain)
# verify_result = email.verify(signed_message_str, trusted_certs)
# encrypted_message = email.encrypt(data_bytes, recipient_certs, "aes256_cbc")
# decrypted_bytes = email.decrypt(encrypted_message_str, private_key)

5) XAdES

from endesive.xades import BES

# bes = BES()
# xml_tree = bes.enveloped(data, cert, cert_bytes, signproc, tsp_url, tsp_credentials)
# xml_tree = bes.enveloping(...)

For complete XML flows, use the executable examples listed below.

Examples

The examples directory contains end-to-end scripts for certificate creation, data generation, signing, verification, HSM usage, timestamps, and advanced PDF signature appearance customization.

Useful starting points:

• Setup and test fixtures:
  • examples/make-cert-ca.py
  • examples/make-cert-hsm.py
  • examples/make-pdf.py
  • examples/make-plain.py
  • examples/make-smime.py
  • examples/make-xml.py
• PDF:
  • examples/pdf-sign-cms.py
  • examples/pdf-verify.py
  • examples/pdf-timestamp-cms.py
• Plain/CMS:
  • examples/plain-sign-attr.py
  • examples/plain-sign-noattr.py
  • examples/plain-verify.py
• S/MIME:
  • examples/smime-sign-attr.py
  • examples/smime-encrypt.py
  • examples/smime-decrypt.py
  • examples/smime-verify.py
• XAdES:
  • examples/xml-hsm-certum-enveloped.py
  • examples/xml-hsm-certum-enveloping.py

Recommended execution order:

1. Generate certificates.
2. Generate input documents/messages.
3. Run signing scripts.
4. Run corresponding verification scripts.

Validation Tools

PDF validators:

• https://www.pdf-online.com/osa/validate.aspx
• https://demo.verapdf.org/
• https://pdfbox.apache.org/

Signature validation services:

• https://ec.europa.eu/cefdigital/DSS/webapp-demo/validation
• https://pkitools.net/pages/validator/pdf.html

Development

Run tests:

make test

Run type checks:

make mypy

Build docs stubs:

make docs

Dependencies

Runtime dependencies (from pyproject.toml):

• cryptography
• asn1crypto
• lxml
• pykcs11
• Pillow
• requests
• paramiko
• pypdf
• attrs

License

MIT, with additional license files for bundled components:

• LICENSE
• LICENSE.pdf-annotate
• LICENSE.pyfpdf