---
schema_version: "1"
id: 0f1f246a6d346ff1ff59f632a7b579f37f0a6419dce4cbd65eee8d075e97175d
title: Certificates and Keys
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/xcloud/264-0-0/mobile_security_cert_key.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=xcloud.mobile_security_cert_key.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 9779c2da069991ff9d876a63781c8aea86e087a5aba711c831614680530b985a
description: Salesforce certificates and key pairs are used for signatures that verify a request is coming from a customer org. They’re used for authenticated SSL communications with an external website, or when using a customer org as an Identity Provider.
products:
  - Security
  - Mobile App
  - Cross Cloud
release: "264"
---
# Certificates and Keys

Salesforce certificates and key pairs are used for signatures that verify a request is coming from a customer org. They’re used for authenticated SSL communications with an external website, or when using a customer org as an Identity Provider.

Customers must generate a Salesforce certificate and key pair only if they’re working with an external website that wants verification that a request is coming from a Salesforce org.

Salesforce offers two types of certificates:

- Self-Signed: A self-signed certificate is signed by Salesforce. Not all external websites accept self-signed certificates.
- CA-Signed: A CA-signed certificate is signed by an external certificate authority (CA). Most external websites accept CA-signed certificates. Customers must first generate the certificate signing request to send to a CA, and then import the signed version of the certificate before they can use it.

See “[About Salesforce Certificates and Keys](https://help.salesforce.com/apex/HTViewHelpDoc?id=security_keys_about.htm&language=en_US)” for more information.