Using a specific PGP key pair for digital signing

    Monday, August 12, 2024 at 6:30 PM | 1 min read

    Last modified on Monday, July 20, 2026 at 1:44 PM

    #asymmetric encryption, #complete signature, #gpg, #linux, #pgp, #pgp key pair, #security, #series

    Key in lock, key pair hanging from chain

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    Table of Contents

    In this post, I explain what is meant by "Digital signing a file using a specific key". The piece is short, but the information is still worth mentioning.

    Digital signing a file using a specific key

    Since I want to digitally "sign" a file using a specific key, I run the following command using the PGP key pair called "Maria" which I have been using for digital signing and local testing:

    gpg --local-user "Maria" -s inline_signature.txt

    This creates a file called inline_signature.txt.gpg, indicating it is an "inline" or "complete signature".

    The --local-user option specifies a user id (or name) to use for signing. In my case, it is "Maria". And that is how I set up the PGP key pair in the article entitled Making and verifying digital signatures using GPG in Linux.

    That is what is meant by "Digital signing a file using a specific key".

    Conclusion

    Even though this is a very short piece, I still found it important to include in the series. So next time you hear someone talk about "Digital signing a file using a specific key", you will know exactly what they are talking about!

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