e-CODEX enhances justice access across EU borders with secure communication, integrating legal systems via connectors and gateways. Features include ETSI-REM, TrustOK Tokens, ASIC-S containers, and WS-Security. It is an e-CODEX Consortium solution.

Owner

e-CODEX consortium

Non-Governmental Organisation

Contact information

Mathias Maurer

https://www.e-codex.eu/

e-CODEX offers technical solutions for secure online cross-border communication in the field of justice. The technical infrastructure connects different legal systems and ensures fast access to justice across borders.

The technical components of e-CODEX are building blocks which can be seen as bridges connecting online judicial services and information across Europe. The technical infrastructure consists of a connector and a gateway. The installation of the gateway ensures a secured connection with a gateway in another Member State.

The e-CODEX Connector Suite adds e-CODEX specific features. It provides three components for the connection of a gateway with a national backend system:

1. The Connector itself ("domibusConnector web-application") adds specific, required functionalities:

ETSI-REM evidences: Those are evidences generated by the Connector in a signed XML format. The purpose of those evidences is to inform the sender of a message on the successful or non-successful processing of the message. Evidences are generated and submitted by the Connector at different stages of message processing.
TrustOK Token: The sending Connector validates the signature of the business document of a message. The outcome of this validation is written in a so called TrustOK Token. This ensures that the business document of the message has not been manipulated on its way from the original sender to the sending connector.
ASIC-S container: Once the validation of the business document and the generation of the TrustOK Token is done successfully, the Connector builds a container that holds the documents that are included in a message. The container then is signed by the Connector. On the receiving side, the Connector validates the signature of the ASIC-S container. This way it is ensured that business documents cannot be manipulated on their way from the sending connector to the receiving connector.
WS-Security: To increase the transmission security of messages, the Connector uses the ws-security on both ends (gateway side as well as national backend side) for transmission. This means that every message the Connector submits or receives is encrypted and signed.
Common API: The Connector offers a stable API which defines the web services that are used to connect to the gateway and the national backend application(s). Also, the structure of messages exchanged with the Connector is described in the domibusConnectorAPI.

2. The ConnectorClient is an optional software component that is designed to support developers that implement use-case specific applications at the participants site.

3. The Domibus-connector-plugin supports the connection between the domibusConnector web application and a DOMIBUS gateway (https://ec.europa.eu/digital-building-blocks/wikis/display/DIGITAL/Domibus). It implements API functionality of the DOMIBUS gateway and is ready to use to establish a push/push connection between the gateway and the domibusConnector.

Further information is provided with the technical documentation, which is part of the download package and at the technical descriptions of the e-CODEX website. Also, the FAQ-section of the e-CODEX website provides answers to the most common issues.