# Pijul keys

Pijul keys are used to identify patch authors in a manner which provides greater security and control than simply mapping authors to a name and email address. The inclusion of a name and email address can be spoofed in a way that a key signature cannot. In addition, Pijul plans to take advantage of the fact that a user's name and e-mail address are no longer tied to their submitted patches, allowing users to later change the name and e-mail address that other users see when they look at previously submitted patches.

The keys Pijul uses to identify path authors are independent of any SSH keys a user may have to interact with a remote. SSH keys are purely for authorizing the transport of patches to/from the Nest, and are not part of Pijul as a version control system.

## Generating keys

Users can generate a new key using `pijul key generate <name>`. The name used for this key is not required to bear any relationship to a nest username or SSH identity. During key generation, users will be asked for a password; on success, the location of the generated key will be displayed to the user (it should be the same directory as your [global configuration](configuration.md)). Pijul currently allows for the generation of one key at a time.

## Proving keys

`pijul key prove [options] <remote>` is used to associate a key with a remote/nest identity. Patches submitted before using `pijul prove` will show only the key as the author.

Example (after key generation) :
```
pijul key prove <your_username>@ssh.pijul.com
```