Smallstep makes sure that sensitive apps and systems can only be reached from company-owned devices. It gives every device, workload and AI agent a hardware-backed, short-lived certificate and uses that certificate, rather than passwords or API keys, to decide who and what gets access.
The platform serves two audiences. Enterprise IT teams use it to tie access to corporate devices, networks and source code, while DevOps teams use it for VMs, Kubernetes, cloud workloads, SSH and mTLS.
At A Glance
| Vendor | Smallstep |
|---|---|
| Category | Device identity, workload identity, PKI and certificate lifecycle |
| Identities covered | Devices, users, workloads, AI agents, MCP clients and servers |
| Deployment | Hosted platform, plus open source step-ca for Kubernetes, Docker, Linux, VMs and bare metal |
| Agentic AI | Cryptographic identity for AI agents and MCP clients and servers |
| Customers | Anduril, Booking.com, Automox |
| Funding | Seed and Series A rounds |
| Market classification | Workload Identity; also PKI & Certificate Lifecycle |
What Smallstep Does
Shared secrets and API keys say nothing about which machine is using them. Smallstep replaces them with proof of what is acting, human or machine, and from where. Each device or workload receives a certificate, bound to its hardware where the hardware allows, and that certificate becomes the credential for networks, apps and code. A stolen password or token alone is then not enough, because access also needs an approved device. The same model extends from laptops to servers, containers, IoT devices and production infrastructure.
Products
Device Identity Platform
For IT and security teams that want access limited to managed hardware, the Device Identity Platform issues and manages hardware-backed certificates for devices and their users. It restricts Wi-Fi, VPNs, SaaS apps, databases and Git repositories to company-owned machines, and it works with the major mobile device management, identity provider and device posture platforms so that policy follows the existing device estate.
ACME Device Attestation
ACME Device Attestation (ACME DA) replaces SCEP as the way devices request certificates. Co-developed with Google at the IETF, it uses the hardware co-processor in each device for attestation and key binding, so a device must prove it is genuine before it receives a certificate. It is supported natively on macOS, Windows and Linux.
Open Source Tools
Engineering teams that run their own PKI often start here:
| step-ca | A private X.509 and SSH certificate authority and ACME server for automated certificate management, shipped as a single binary with no external dependencies. |
|---|---|
| step CLI | A command-line tool for X.509, OAuth, JWT and OATH OTP, used to administer the CA and to issue, renew, inspect and lint certificates on Mac, Windows and Linux. |
| autocert | A Kubernetes add-on that injects TLS certificates into containers automatically. |
How It Works
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| Device inventory | Policies start from an inventory, the canonical list of approved devices and their hardware identifiers. |
| Enrolment | A lightweight Smallstep Agent runs in the background on each device and handles certificate enrolment, renewal and revocation. Apple devices can enrol without the agent, through MDM using ACME or SCEP. |
| Certificate authorities | An Attestation CA checks that each request comes from a device in the inventory, an Agent CA issues device certificates, and Account and Devices CAs issue short-lived client credentials for protected resources. |
| Attestation flow | The device collects evidence from a hardware attestation service, such as the Apple Attestation Server. The ACME server verifies that evidence before issuing a certificate, which the organisation’s servers then trust. |
Identities And Systems Covered
| Devices | Company-owned laptops and desktops on macOS, Windows and Linux, plus servers and IoT devices. |
|---|---|
| Human users | People, with access tied to company-owned hardware. |
| Workloads | VMs, Kubernetes workloads, containers and cloud workloads. |
| Certificates and SSH | X.509 and SSH certificates issued by step-ca. |
| AI agents | AI agents and MCP clients and servers. |
| Protected resources | Wi-Fi, VPNs, SSH, SaaS apps, databases, Git repositories and internal applications. |
Agentic AI Capabilities
Identity For AI Agents And MCP
AI agents and MCP toolchains often run on static API keys. Smallstep gives AI agents, MCP clients and MCP servers a cryptographic identity instead, using the same short-lived, hardware-backed certificates it issues to devices and workloads, so an agent’s access can be traced to a specific machine and revoked like any other certificate. Short lifetimes limit how long a leaked agent credential stays useful, and the same CAs and policies that govern devices and workloads govern agents too.
Integrations
| Area | Integrations |
|---|---|
| Device management | Intune, Jamf, JumpCloud |
| Identity providers | Okta |
| Cloud and developer | Google Cloud, AWS, GitHub, Docker |
More than 100 integrations are available in total.
Company Background
| Leadership | Mike Malone, Founder and CEO. |
|---|---|
| Funding | $26 million raised by April 2022, made up of a $7 million seed round led by boldstart ventures with Accel Partners, Bain Capital Ventures and Upside Partnership, and a $19 million Series A led by StepStone Group. |
| Recognition | Finalist in the RSAC 2025 Conference Innovation Sandbox contest. |
| Certifications | SOC compliance (AICPA). |
Note: This overview is compiled from Smallstep’s publicly available information as of 3 November 2026. It is provided for information only. NHI Mgmt Group does not endorse any vendor, and nothing on this page represents the opinions of NHI Mgmt Group.