Compare SSL/TLS components for VCL and .NET frameworks
To compare different solutions you can use the table below or you can read textual description of "native" SSL implementations.
| Solution title | SecureBlackbox® | PowerTCP SSL Tool | IP*Works! SSL Internet Tollkit | CryptoAPI + SChannel | StreamSec Tools (StrSecII) | OpenSSL |
| Developer | EldoS Corporation | Dart Communications | /n software inc. | Microsoft Corporation | StreamSec | Open-source community |
| Licensing and support | ||||||
| License | Commercial | Commercial | Commercial | Part of Windows OS | Commercial | Freeware |
| Price (starting from) | $188 | $999 | $945 | Part of Windows® | €499 (single-developer license) | freeware/open-source |
| Support | lifetime free support free updates until release of next major version Newsgroups, online |
1 year of support is included with subscription package. | Standard Support - Free Premium Support - $495 per year Per-Incident Support - $145 per incident |
Newsgroups, Microsoft support | subscription-based support (i.e. free with subscription licenses) | free support via mailing list |
| Secure protocols implementation (SSL Provider) |
native | CryptoAPI | CryptoAPI for Windows, JVM for Java | CryptoAPI | native | native |
| Platforms and development tools | ||||||
| Dev.tools |
|
Any dev.tool that supports ActiveX |
|
Visual C++ Any dev.tool that supports DLL (headers and declarations required) Any dev.tool that supports ActiveX (for CryptoAPI only) |
Delphi/Kylix (native code) | GCC, Visual C++ etc. |
| Platforms | Windows, Linux, .NET | Windows, .NET (ActiveX/DLL) | Windows, Java, PocketPC, .NET | Windows, PocketPC | Windows, Linux | Windows, Unix, Linux, MacOS etc. |
| Code linkage | ||||||
| Native Delphi code |  |
 |
|
|
|
 (linking .obj files is possible) |
| External DLL a | |
|
|
|
|
|
| External ActiveX component | |
|
|
CryptoAPI only | |
|
| Implemented protocols | ||||||
| SSL2 | |
|
|
|
|
|
| SSL3 | |
|
|
|
|
|
| TLS | |
|
|
|
|
|
| PCT | |
|
|
|
|
|
| Transport layer (sockets/custom) | sockets, any custom |
sockets | asynchronous sockets | sockets | any custom | sockets |
| Encryption algorithm (is encryption part of the solution, or third library is used) | native | external | external | native | native | native |
| Certificates | ||||||
| generation | |
|
|
|
|
|
| validation | |
|
|
client-side only | |
|
| custom storage | |
|
|
|
|
|
| system storage | |
|
|
|
|
|
| Documentation | ||||||
| getting started | |
|
|
|
|
 (you can use OpenSSL for Windows developer's guide by Trizen) |
| how to/faq | |
several questions on the web-site | |
|
|
|
| objects/classes/API description | |
|
|
|
custom format, integrating into Delphi IDE | incomplete, hard to use |
| Examples | Delphi, Kylix, C#, VB6, VB.NET, Visual C++ samples for both server and client. | Delphi, VB samples and more | demo applications for Delphi and ActiveX | C++ samples in Platform SDK | demo applications | demo applications (.c, .cpp) |
| Protocols | ||||||
| Application-level protocols | via third-party libraries (Indy, ICS) | Secure ActiveX COM controls for TCP, TCP Server, POP3, FTP, and FTP Server. | HTTPS, SMTPS, POPS, FTPS, IMAPS, LDAPS, NNTPS, SOAPS (and more) | external | external | external |
| Possibility to create own TCP-based protocols and access to socket layer | using TClientSocket / TServerSocket, Indy, ICS, NexusDB, RealThinClient, .NET Socket class, CSocket / CAsyncSocket (ready-to-use classes included) or other third-party components and classes | |
|
|
using third-party components | |
a If you use DLL, the hacker can easily intersept the unprotected data by hooking the DLL API. Native call linkage is strongly recommended.
Please notify us if you find that some information is incorrect.