Digital signature

A specific cryptographic mechanism — not a synonym for electronic signature, though it is used as one constantly.

A digital signature is a cryptographic construction: a value computed over a document using a private key, which anyone holding the corresponding public key can verify. It binds the document to a certificate issued to an identity, and it makes any later change to the document detectable.

An electronic signature is the legal category. A digital signature is one way to produce one. Every digital signature is an electronic signature; most electronic signatures are not digital signatures.

The terms get conflated because "digital" sounds like the more serious version, and vendors are not always keen to correct the impression. Worth knowing: most e-signature products do not apply a document-level digital signature by default. What they produce is a record-based electronic signature backed by an audit trail, which is a different and often entirely sufficient thing — but it is not the same claim.

Last reviewed 2026-09-18. Pactlyra produces a detailed evidence record for every completed document. Electronic signature validity depends on your jurisdiction, the document type, and how the transaction is carried out; nothing here is legal advice.