14

For me as hobby server admin it was always pretty clear. Use the built it gpg for all the hybrid encryption needs. But yesterday I had a problem with gpg (so the package called gnupg) in finding a key on a keyserver. I tried, but I did not manage to do it.

Then I came across someone that said there is something like "gpg2" and that you have to use that for it. I did not know there is something like gpg2 (so the package gnupg2) and I installed it.

Now I am really confused. Why there are different versions? Using gpg2 worked, but I could not create any ECC keys. It is clear that I don't want to use 2 separate programs and import all keys in the 2 just to have a marginal change of features.

Which one should I use moving forward (will be updated in the future and I am more likely to receive new features)?

2

1 Answer 1

2

Answering your question: "What are the exact differences between GPG and GPG2 ?"

A Brief Comparison of GPG and GPG2:

  • GPG2 is extended version of GPG. Where changes are mostly in internal levels, thus commands are same.
  • A major change between GPG and GPG2 is that all the crypto operations have been moved to the GPG agent, so without an agent, GPG2 can't work.
  • man gpg2 command gives the following statement "In contrast to the standalone version gpg, which is more suited for server and embedded platforms, this version is commonly installed under the name gpg2 and more targeted to the desktop as it requires several other modules to be installed."
  • An important change came with GPG 2.1, which combines the formerly separated public and private keyrings (pubring.gpg and secring.gpg) into the public keyring.
  • Explore more about what's new in GPG2 here.

You must log in to answer this question.