A signature is only as strong as the record behind it. This guide covers the three pieces of that record in GingerDocs: the audit log every document carries, the controls on share links, and the verification page anyone can use.
The hash-chained audit log
Every meaningful event in a document’s life — created, sent, viewed, signed, declined, voided — is appended to its audit log with a timestamp and the IP address it came from. The log is append-only: events are never edited or removed.
Each entry is chained to the previous one with a SHA-256 hash, the same construction used in tamper-evident ledgers. Altering any past entry would break the chain for every entry after it, which makes after-the-fact tampering detectable rather than deniable.
Sharing a document securely
When you need to show a document to someone outside the signing flow, create a share link. Each link is a long random token, and you control three guards on top of it:
- Password — the viewer must enter a password you set.
- Expiry — the link stops working after a date you choose.
- Max views — the link dies after a set number of opens.
Downloads and storage
Files are encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS in transit, and download URLs are short-lived — they expire five minutes after they are issued, so a leaked link in a chat log or email goes stale almost immediately.
Verifying a completed document
Anyone holding a completed GingerDocs PDF can check it against the platform’s records on the verification page — no account needed. Enter the reference number from the certificate and an email tied to the document; the check confirms the document matches what the audit log says was signed and lets you download the verified copy. That turns "is this the real signed copy?" from an argument into a lookup.