> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://kmanu225.gitbook.io/cs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://kmanu225.gitbook.io/cs/cryptography/pki/pki-foundations.md).

# Part 1: PKI Foundations

This section builds the minimum cryptographic background needed to understand PKI. Read the pages in order:

1. [What Is a PKI?](/cs/cryptography/pki/pki-foundations/01-what-is-pki.md)
2. [Symmetric and Asymmetric Keys](/cs/cryptography/pki/pki-foundations/02-symmetric-and-asymmetric-keys.md)
3. [The Public-Key Trust Problem](/cs/cryptography/pki/pki-foundations/03-public-key-trust-problem.md)
4. [Hashes and Digital Signatures](/cs/cryptography/pki/pki-foundations/04-hashes-and-digital-signatures.md)
5. [PKI Roles and Components](/cs/cryptography/pki/pki-foundations/05-pki-roles-and-components.md)

At the end of this section, you should be able to explain why a public key alone is not an identity and how a PKI binds the two together.

{% hint style="info" %}
Already comfortable with public-key cryptography? Start with [The Public-Key Trust Problem](/cs/cryptography/pki/pki-foundations/03-public-key-trust-problem.md).
{% endhint %}