What is Skater Private Keys Depot?
Rustemsoft presents Skater Private Keys Depot as a modern key management system that provides cloud data encryption approaches for securing data keys. A common developer problem is managing secret keys used to protect communication between applications and services.
The Depot is intended to reduce the need for developers to manipulate these credentials directly. Developers can add keys to the Depot, and .NET applications can access the Depot to retrieve stored credentials.
How do you manage a key in the online interface?
The online interface exposes several parameters for each key. These parameters identify the key, describe it, define its cryptographic protection, and record when it was created or updated.
| Parameter | Purpose and documented limits |
|---|---|
| Name | Unique identifier of the key. Up to 128 characters. Accepts alphanumeric characters and the _ character only. Names must be unique and must not start with a number. |
| Key | The key value. The documentation describes it as cryptographically encoded and limits it to 1024 characters. |
| Description | Optional description of the key, up to 512 characters. |
| Password | Password used for cryptographic encryption for internal system usage. Up to 128 characters. |
| Crypto Algorithm | The cryptographic algorithm selected for key encryption. |
| Created | Read-only, system-generated date and time when the key was first created. |
| Updated | Read-only, system-generated date and time when the key was last updated. |
Which cryptographic algorithms are available?
The supplied documentation lists three algorithm names offered by the Depot:
- Symmetric Block Cipher - AES-256
- Three-Key Triple DES
- Hash Functions - SHA-256
How do you modify a stored key?
The online interface can be used to modify a key. A defined key can then be added, modified, and read to or from Keys Depot within a .NET application.
Use the online interface to locate the key you want to manage.
Check the name, key value, description, password, and selected cryptographic algorithm.
Make the required changes through the Depot interface.
The documentation states that the modified key is cryptographically encrypted and stored on the Depot cloud server.
If the changed key is already used by an application, update the application that retrieves it so it does not reference an obsolete or logically incorrect value.
How can a .NET application access the stored keys?
The key value can be retrieved programmatically through a .NET application by using the Skater Private Keys Depot API library. The documentation identifies the API assembly as Skater.Cloud.Vault.dll.
Install Skater.Cloud.Vault with NuGet
The supplied document gives the following Package Manager Console command:
NuGet\Install-Package Skater.Cloud.Vault -Version 25.11.23.3This allows a .NET application to reference the API library used to work with the Private Keys Depot.
How do you update a stored key from application source code?
The supplied example shows a Windows application with an Update Key button. When the button is clicked, the code-behind calls the KeysDepot.updateKey method with the Certificate IV and the key parameters.
richTextBox1.Text = KeysDepot.updateKey(
txbxCertificateIV.Text,
txbxKeyName.Text,
txbxKey.Text,
txbxDescr.Text,
txbxPsw.Text,
cbxAlg.Text);The example demonstrates the key-management flow from a .NET application: the application collects the Depot parameters and passes them to the KeysDepot API method.
What is Certificate IV and where do you get it?
The supplied documentation states that Skater.Cloud.Vault.KeysDepot class methods require Certificate IV to be passed as the first parameter.
To obtain it, go to your account's online interface and click the Get Certificate IV button. The resulting Certificate IV can then be copied into the application source code as shown in the example.
Key management workflow at a glance
1. Define the key
Give the key a unique name and provide its value, optional description, password, and cryptographic algorithm.
2. Manage it online
Use the Depot online interface to add or modify stored keys.
3. Protect the stored value
After modification, the key is cryptographically encrypted and stored on the Depot cloud server.
4. Use it from .NET
Reference Skater.Cloud.Vault and use the KeysDepot API from a .NET application to retrieve or update key information.
Where can you find a .NET integration example?
The supplied documentation points to a GitHub repository demonstrating Private Keys Depot and integration with a custom .NET Windows Forms application:
Rustemsoft Private Keys Depot Windows Forms example on GitHub
For the full Skater Private Keys Depot documentation, see the relevant section of the Skater online manual:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Skater Private Keys Depot?
It is a key management system for .NET applications that lets developers manage keys through an online interface and access stored credentials from .NET applications.
Which applications can use Skater Private Keys Depot?
The supplied documentation states that Skater Private Keys Depot is useful for .NET apps only.
Which cryptographic algorithms does the Depot offer?
The documentation lists AES-256, Three-Key Triple DES, and SHA-256 under the three offered algorithm names.
How are keys stored after modification?
After a key is modified, the documentation states that it is cryptographically encrypted and stored on the Depot cloud server.
How can a .NET application retrieve a stored key?
A .NET application can use the Skater Private Keys Depot API library, identified in the documentation as Skater.Cloud.Vault.dll, to retrieve key values programmatically.
What should I do before modifying a key already used by an application?
Update the application that retrieves the key before deleting or modifying the stored key. Otherwise, the application may call a deleted key or retrieve a logically wrong value.
What is required by the KeysDepot class methods?
The documentation states that KeysDepot class methods require Certificate IV to be passed as the first parameter. Certificate IV can be obtained through the online interface using the Get Certificate IV button.
Manage .NET keys with Skater Private Keys Depot
Use the online Depot interface to manage stored keys, then integrate the Depot into your .NET application with Skater.Cloud.Vault and the KeysDepot API.