---
title: "PKCS #11 support in the PingDirectory server"
description: "Interact with cryptographic tokens, such as hardware security modules and smart cards, through PKCS #11 support in PingDirectory."
component: pingdirectory
version: 10.2
page_id: pingdirectory:pingdirectory_security_guide:pd_sec_pkcs11_support_pd_server
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingdirectory/11.1/pingdirectory_security_guide/pd_sec_use_pkcs11_server.html
llms_txt: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingdirectory/llms.txt
docs_for_agents: https://developer.pingidentity.com/build-with-ai/docs-for-agents.md
revdate: 2023-09-13T00:00:00Z
---

# PKCS #11 support in the PingDirectory server

PKCS #11 is a standard that defines an API (also known as cryptoki) for interacting with cryptographic tokens.

They can interact with things including:

* Hardware security modules (HSMs)

* Smart cards

* Cryptographic accelerators

  |   |                                                                                                        |
  | - | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
  |   | Cryptographic accelerators aren't used as much now because most CPUs include their own native support. |

Many PKCS #11 tokens provide the ability to store certificates, and the PingDirectory server supports using these types of PKCS #11 tokens as an alternative to a Java KeyStore (JKS) or PKCS #12 file-based key store. While the PKCS #11 tokens used in production environments are typically associated with hardware devices, it's possible to emulate a PKCS #11 token in software.