@node Preface

@chapter Preface

This document demonstrates and explains the @acronym{GnuTLS}

library API.  A brief introduction to the protocols and the technology

involved is also included so that an application programmer can

better understand the @acronym{GnuTLS} purpose and actual offerings.

Even if @acronym{GnuTLS} is a typical library software, it operates

over several security and cryptographic protocols which require the

programmer to make careful and correct usage of them. Otherwise it

is likely to only obtain a false sense of security.

The term of security is very broad even if restricted to computer

software, and cannot be confined to a single cryptographic

library.  For that reason, do not consider any program secure just

because it uses @acronym{GnuTLS}; there are several ways to compromise

a program or a communication line and @acronym{GnuTLS} only helps with

some of them.

Although this document tries to be self contained, basic network

programming and public key infrastructure (PKI) knowledge is assumed 

in most of it. A good introduction to networking can be found 

in @xcite{STEVENS}, to public key infrastructure in @xcite{GUTPKI}

and to security engineering in @xcite{ANDERSON}.

Updated versions of the @acronym{GnuTLS} software and this document

will be available from @url{http://www.gnutls.org/}.