Add cryptographic proof to your documents

Digitally sign PDFs with public key infrastructure (PKI), certificate validation, timestamps, and long-term validation — right inside your app, or backed by a secure server.


Add certificate-based signatures to PDFs

Use digital certificates to cryptographically sign PDFs in the browser, on mobile, or via secure backend infrastructure.

Create and verify PAdES and CAdES signatures

Support PDF signing with full compliance for ETSI PAdES/CAdES formats, including visible and invisible signatures.

Sign with timestamping and long-term validation (LTV)

Ensure the longevity of signed documents by including timestamps and OCSP/CRL validation data.

Verify digital signature status on open

Display real-time validation UI and status indicators as soon as a user opens a signed document.


HOW IT WORKS

The full lifecycle of digital signing

Our SDK and APIs support the complete workflow for applying, customizing, and verifying digital signatures.

KEY FEATURES

Advanced PDF signing for every platform

Digital Signatures gives developers deep control over signing logic, validation, and compliance.

Signing digital signatures demo interface
Cryptographic standards

Sign with PAdES (ETSI.CAdES.detached) or CMS (adbe.pkcs7.detached). Supports RSA, ECDSA, and SHA-2.


Validation with trusted roots

Use trustedCAsCallback to supply root certificates for verifying the authenticity of signatures.


Timestamping and LTV

Add timestamps from a trusted authority, and enable long-term validation (PAdES B-T, B-LT).


Visual or invisible signature fields

Configure UI appearance, use company branding, and embed metadata like signer name, date, and reason.


Multisignature support

Allow multiple signers to apply approval signatures in sequence. Each signature creates a new revision.


Headless signing

Sign documents in the background via Document Engine or DWS Processor API without exposing private keys.


Signature validation UI

Enable a built-in validation status bar that shows green/yellow/red based on signature integrity.


Supported on your platform


Choosing the right signature type

Electronic Signatures
Digital Signatures
For everyday agreements and user-friendly workflows
For high-assurance use cases requiring cryptographic trust
  • Let users sign with a fingertip, stylus, mouse, uploaded image, or typed signature
  • Confirm actions and agreements with a familiar signing experience
  • Preserve a visual record of user intent in your app or workflow
  • Sign with a certificate-based identity backed by a trusted authority
  • Create tamper-evident, encrypted signatures using public key infrastructure (PKI)
  • Embed metadata like timestamps, signing methods, and signer identities
Best for:
  • Consumer approvals
  • HR and onboarding forms
  • Purchase confirmations
  • Internal agreements
Best for:
  • Regulated financial transactions
  • Government filings and legal contracts
  • Pharmaceutical or medical compliance workflows
  • Enterprise-grade document archiving

Run it your way

Whether you’re building for web, mobile, or the backend, Nutrient gives you full flexibility — all with a consistent developer experience.

Client-side SDKs

Use the web, mobile, and cross-platform SDKs to embed document capabilities directly into your app — fully client-side, no backend required


Server-backed control

Use Document Engine for server-backed processing, data control, and deep infrastructure integration


Cloud-hosted scale

Use Document Web Services (DWS) for instant scale, with cloud-hosted APIs for viewing, annotating, converting, and more


WEB PLAYGROUND

Looking for the code? Come play in our sandbox



REAL-WORLD IMPACT

Built for scale.
Trusted in production.

Nutrient powers mission-critical document workflows for global enterprises — from compliance-heavy industries to modern SaaS teams.


Delivers compliant, secure digital signature workflows for Austrian municipalities — reducing in-person paperwork and expediting public service delivery.


Renders multipage PDFs and signature tags with Nutrient, keeping 200 million users in 188 countries moving at the speed of eSignature.


Empowers 34,000 pilots to view, annotate, and sign 90‑page flight releases on iPad using Nutrient iOS SDK, saving minutes — and money — on every flight.

FREE TRIAL

Add digital signing to your app — no credit card required

Frequently asked questions

What is a digital signatures SDK, and why do developers need it?

A digital signatures SDK lets developers add cryptographically secure, certificate-based signing to their applications. Unlike basic electronic signatures, digital signatures use public key infrastructure (PKI) to create tamper-evident, verifiable PDFs. This ensures document integrity, origin authentication, and legal enforceability — all directly within your app.

How does Nutrient’s SDK handle the digital signing workflow?

Nutrient supports the full digital signature lifecycle:

  • Developers prepare or load certificates.
  • A visible or invisible signature field is added to the PDF.
  • A digital signature is applied using local keys, secure hardware, or delegated cloud services.
  • Signatures are verified with trusted roots and can include timestamps and long-term validation (LTV).

All of this is managed through our flexible Web SDK, Document Engine, or Processor API.

Which platforms support Nutrient’s digital signatures SDK?

Nutrient’s Digital Signatures component works across:

  • Web
  • iOS
  • Android
  • Mac Catalyst
  • Electron
  • MAUI
  • React Native
  • Flutter
  • visionOS

It also integrates with server-side deployments via Document Engine and DWS Processor API for backend and cloud-based signing.

Can I integrate with hardware security modules (HSMs) or third-party providers?

Yes. Nutrient supports headless, two-phase signing — ideal for HSMs, remote signing services, and integrations like AWS CloudHSM or GlobalSign DSS. You control certificate storage and cryptographic operations while keeping your signing flow compliant and secure.

What makes digital signatures more secure than electronic signatures?

Electronic signatures rely on visual marks like typed names or ink drawings. Digital signatures go further, using certificates to embed an encrypted “digital fingerprint” tied to the signer’s identity. They can detect tampering, validate signer authenticity, and include trusted timestamps. This makes them suitable for high-assurance workflows like legal contracts, medical records, and regulated financial transactions.


What are digital signatures, and how do they work in a PDF?

Digital signatures use cryptographic certificates to prove who signed a document, when they signed it, and whether the content was altered afterward. They’re different from basic electronic signatures — instead of just adding a visual mark, they create a secure fingerprint based on public key infrastructure (PKI).

With Nutrient’s digital signatures SDK, developers can:
  • Create certificate-backed signatures using RSA or ECDSA
  • Add visible or invisible signature fields to PDF forms and contracts
  • Include timestamping and LTV (long-term validation) for lasting integrity
  • Validate signatures using trusted root certificates
  • Support multiparty signing workflows with revision tracking
  • Sign headlessly via secure backend or cloud APIs, without exposing private keys

You can build fully compliant signing workflows for eIDAS, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, or ESIGN/UETA-style use cases — all directly in your app or platform. Nutrient supports PAdES and CAdES signature standards, works in the browser or native apps, and integrates cleanly with third-party services like HSMs and Qualified Trust Providers.

Use cases include:
  • Signing medical and pharmaceutical testing records
  • Certifying real estate deeds, mortgages, and closing documents
  • Approving legal contracts and high-value financial agreements
  • Complying with digital trust frameworks across global jurisdictions

Nutrient makes it easy to move from visual signatures to verifiable ones — and from signed documents to secure, traceable transactions.