PGP ASCII Armoring

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PGP key files and encrypted files may be saved in a format referred to as ASCII armored. This format is an encrypted representation of a file consisting entirely of printable ASCII (or text-mode only) characters.

 

Files in this format contain no binary values, and therefore may be easily sent as part of e-mail messages and visually examined using programs like Notepad.

 

Files saved in this format are approximately 30% larger than their non-armored counterparts. When decrypted, both armored and non-armored files reproduce an identical original.

 

 

Related: PGP Public and Private Keys, PGP Passphrases, PGP Digital Signatures

See also: Robo-FTP and PGP Cryptography, PGPENCRYPT /armor option