Glossary

PAdES / XAdES / CAdES (Electronic Signature Formats)

PAdES, XAdES and CAdES are European electronic signature format standards defined by ETSI — specifying how a signature is technically embedded in a PDF, XML or other document.

Full Definition

PAdES (PDF Advanced Electronic Signatures) is the standard for signing PDF documents — the signature is embedded directly in the file and is visible in Adobe Acrobat. XAdES (XML Advanced Electronic Signatures) is used for signing XML documents (invoices, e-government). CAdES (CMS Advanced Electronic Signatures) is designed for binary data and email attachments. All three formats support long-term validation (LTV) with embedded OCSP responses and timestamps. zipzipdoc creates a PAdES signature embedded in the PDF.

Back to full glossary

Previous term

OTP (One-Time Password)

Next term

PKI (Public Key Infrastructure)

Ready to try zipzipdoc?

Generate contracts and sign electronically — securely, quickly, eIDAS-compliant.

Start free