CODEWITHSUNDEEP
wcf
Deepak Agarwal
Deepak Agarwal

Reputation: 468

Client side <serviceCertificate> and <identity> elements

MSDN for <serviceCertificate>says this

This configuration element specifies the settings used by the client to validate the certificate presented by the service using SSL authentication.

MSDN for <identity> says this

In the handshake process between the client and service, the Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) infrastructure will ensure that the identity of the expected service matches the values of this element, and thus can be authenticated.

As I understand, both these elements are used to authenticate service to the client.

Question: Could someone please elaborate and let me know the difference?

Thanks!

Upvotes: 0

Views: 89

Answers (1)

The other other Alan
The other other Alan

Reputation: 1918

These are quite different.

  • As its name implies, the <identity> element is used by the client to identify a service, answering the question "Who are you?" It contains many child elements that can be used for this purpose - as there are many ways of identifying a service: certificate, SPN, UPN, etc.
  • <serviceCertificate> specifies an actual X.509 certificate used to authenticate a client or service, helping to answer the question "How can I be sure you are who you say you are?"

Upvotes: 2

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