{"id":5880,"date":"2021-05-27T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-05-27T03:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/blog-xnoccio\/?p=5880"},"modified":"2025-08-14T12:54:24","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T10:54:24","slug":"timestamping-usage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.viafirma.com\/en\/timestamping-usage\/","title":{"rendered":"Timestamping usage"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

The timestamping <\/strong>is a term widely used in the field of electronic signature<\/strong>. It may seems to have an obvious meaning (time stamp<\/strong>), but it also has some nuances that I would describe, therefore, let’s review the most direct questions that may come to mind of someone outside the industry that first heard this concept.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What is a timestamp?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The time stamp or timestamping is an online mechanism that can prove that a series of data exists and has not been altered since a specific point in time. This protocol is described in RFC 3161 and is on the Internet standards record.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

What is a TSA?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

(TSA – Timestamping Authority) The time-stamping Authority is a Certification Services Provider that provides certainty about the pre-existence of certain electronic documents in a point of time, whose time stamp along with the hash of the document is signed by the timestamp authority.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Which signature formats should I use?<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Within the formats supported by Viafirma Platform, should be used those who allow their structure to add one or more timestamps according to RFC 3161. These formats are:<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n