File: gpgme.info,  Node: Overview,  Prev: Features,  Up: Introduction

1.3 Overview
============

GPGME provides a data abstraction that is used to pass data to the
crypto engine, and receive returned data from it.  Data can be read from
memory or from files, but it can also be provided by a callback
function.

   The actual cryptographic operations are always set within a context.
A context provides configuration parameters that define the behaviour of
all operations performed within it.  Only one operation per context is
allowed at any time, but when one operation is finished, you can run the
next operation in the same context.  There can be more than one context,
and all can run different operations at the same time.

   Furthermore, GPGME has rich key management facilities including
listing keys, querying their attributes, generating, importing,
exporting and deleting keys, and acquiring information about the trust
path.

   With some precautions, GPGME can be used in a multi-threaded
environment, although it is not completely thread safe and thus needs
the support of the application.