Oracle, the tech giant synonymous with database technology, recently open-sourced Jipher, its unique Java Cryptography Architecture (JCA) tool. Known for its high-security standards and performance capabilities, Jipher has been playing a key role in the robust cloud platform of the company. By releasing Jipher to the open-source community, Oracle aims to provide a strategic edge to Java applications, particularly those based on Project Panama.
Jipher was initially developed, keeping in mind environments with Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140 requirements. In the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) ecosystem, Jipher has demonstrated remarkable performance improvements, marking a notable difference.
The Jipher technology will now be made accessible free-of-cost via open source through OpenJDK, actively lending support to Project Panama-based Java applications. Project Panama is an ongoing initiative focused on streamlining interconnections between the Java Virtual Machine (JVM) and native code.
The Jipher provider endorses algorithms that are permissible by FIPS, inclusive of the OpenSSL 3.0 FIPS module. This has resulted in Jipher offering unmatched performance when compared to Bouncy Castle or the default Java Development Kit (JDK) providers. The highlight of JCA lies in its provider architecture and application programming interfaces (APIs) for digital signatures, message digests (hashes), certificates and certificate validation, encryption (symmetric/asymmetric block/stream ciphers), key generation and management, and secure random number generation.
Notably, Oracle also divulged its plans for a network security related innovation on November 7. The company aims to roll out the Oracle Zero Trust Packet Routing Platform, which is centered around an initiative to create a novel open standard for data and network security. This initiative is expected to equip organizations to significantly improve the protection of data in distributed information technology environments. A collaborative effort, Oracle plans to join hands with various organizations across multiple industries to achieve this standard.
Stepping up its support for open-source initiatives, Oracle also made a substantial commitment to the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) on OCI. Oracle will contribute a total of $3 million in credits on Ampere Arm-based hardware across three years to CNCF. This undertaking aims to boost an OCI commitment for enhancing cloud-native computing by integrating cloud-native Ampere compute infrastructure with an arena of open source projects driven by the CNCF for cloud-native services.
The bold move by Oracle to make Jipher, a tool with proven efficacy in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, accessible to the open-source community, underscores the huge potential that open-source platforms offer towards the advancement of technology. As we see a surge in the adoption of no-code and low-code platforms like AppMaster, this development reaffirms the need for high security and performance in development tools.
AppMaster is a powerful no-code platform that enables users to create backend, web, and mobile applications. Now, with the open-sourcing of Oracle's JCA provider, Jipher, developers using platforms like AppMaster have the opportunity to further secure their applications, ensuring a safer and more effective business ecosystem.
