PGPlib is a library that lets you generate (and manipulate) PGP
  packets without having to run PGP.  In particular there is code to
  generate and understand the following types of PGP packets:

  - Data can be signed with a private key
  - Data can be encrypted with a public key
  - Data encrypted with your public key can be decrypted
  - You can verify signatures on public keys and on buffers (files)
  - Convential encrypted (IDEA with Zimmermann's context sensitive
    feedback).  The library can both read (decrypt) and write
    (encrypt) convential packets (in PGP format)
  - Armor.  You can (de)armor a buffer or a file into a buffer or a
    file
  - UserID packets are read and written in a variety of formats
  - Literal with filename, mode, etc.  You can create literate
    packages from files, or from buffers, and create files from
    literate packets
  - Keys can be obtained from a database (which is provided) or by
    parsing keyrings.  Keys can be kept in buffers or on files
  - You can maintain a PGP public-key database (I use this library to
    maintain a database with ~40.000 keys).  There is code to use DBM
    as supplied from Berkeley.  A copy of DBM is included for your
    convinience

  In general, PGPlib operates on buffers in order for you to use it in
  your applications.

  I have made a small program that will (de)armor anything, a parser
  to parse PGP files (including decryption and so on), a shell to
  manipulate a keydatabase, a keyserver to run on top of such a
  database, a program to verify signatures on keys and/or files, a
  program to split keyrings in smaller parts and a program that will
  sign files for you.  You will find all these (and many more) in the
  PGPlib-1.1/applications/ directory.  None of these uses PGP as they 
  are linked with PGPlib, which provides all the functionality that is
  needed.

  I believe that all parts of the library is tested against PGP by the
  script PGPlib-1.1/applications/test.sh.  You need to edit it in 
  order to make it run (to ensure that you read my warnings, sorry 
  about this).


What is not there for you
=========================

  - Sufficient documentation.

  I have written this library because I need it.  In order to make
  life less hard for my students, I will have to provide some
  documentation.  Possibly even on-line.  However, quite a few manual
  pages are included in the PGPlib-1.1/man/ directory.