ConsenSys Quorum launches Key Manager: A tool to accelerate enterprise blockchain solution development

Quorum Key Manager (QKM) is the consolidation of all of ConsenSys’ account and private key management initiatives. This includes work that has contributed to Codefi Orchestrate, EthSigner, the Quorum Hashicorp Vault Plugin, and Quorum Signer. 

QKM delivers enterprise-grade security, streamlined blockchain component integrations, and consolidated account and key management—all the features expected from any production deployment by enterprises and institutions.

QKM is being integrated with Hyperledger Besu and GoQuorum for node signing; with Tessera for Private transaction encryption; and with Codefi Orchestrate for transaction signing, account management, and on-chain certificate signing. It is also being integrated with some Baseline Protocol implementations.

Simplified enterprise blockchain development

Normally, blockchain applications utilize keys across multiple components in production. The integration of each of these components typically requires high costs, meticulous development, and implementation of multiple security gates. 

Institutions that attempt to integrate by themselves— whether by modifying an open-source solution or creating a new integration tool—face uncapped costs and associated technology and security risks.

QKM leverages advanced security functions, streamlines component integrations—including Hyperledger Besu, Teku, Tessera, GoQuorum, Baseline, Orchestrate, and the Codefi suite—and consolidates all account and private key management in one place. It supports all blockchain use-cases and can integrate with multiple vault storages. All of this, it does at the standard of production deployment expected by established institutions.

Enterprise-grade security

• QKM stores private keys within a secure backend system. Institutions may choose between Azure Key Vault, AWS Key Management Service, HashiCorp Vault, and HSMs.
• With QKM, institutions can manage user access rights with authentication and permissioned authorization.
• They can also audit the access history and signing request of their keys.

Efficient Key Management

• With QKM, institutions can manage their users’ private keys from a single API.
• They can send Ethereum transactions directly to any Ethereum node (Hyperledger Besu, GoQuorum, Go-Ethereum, etc.).
• And they can sign data for many more blockchain use-cases.

Integration with core technical blockchain components from Codefi Orchestrate

QKM is compatible with Codefi Orchestrate. It may integrate components for transaction management, transaction sentry, faucet management, smart contract management.

Technical Demo

Accessing Quorum Key Manager

Quorum Key Manager is commercially available as part of the ConsenSys Quorum Subscription, ConsenSys’s comprehensive offering for Enterprise-grade blockchain networks and as part of Codefi Orchestrate. It is also available as a standalone product, and can be used under a BSL license, free for non-production use.