Electronic signature (e-signature)
Also called e-signature, electronic signature, esign.
A way of signing a document or approving a record electronically, so it carries the signer's intent the way a handwritten signature would.
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What it is.
An e-signature can be a typed name, a drawn signature, a click on I agree or a cryptographic signature. In the US, the ESIGN Act says a signature, contract or record may not be denied legal effect solely because it is in electronic form. Other countries have their own laws, and the EU sets levels of electronic signature with different legal weight.
Some uses set extra rules. In FDA-regulated work, 21 CFR Part 11 asks for signatures linked to their records, showing the signer's printed name, the date and time, and the meaning of the signature, such as reviewed or approved.
Why it matters
E-signatures remove printing, scanning and couriers from contracts, consent forms and approvals. The legal value depends on proof: who signed, that they meant to, and that the document has not changed since. A product that cannot show that may not hold up in a dispute or an inspection.
In a product build
For most contracts we integrate an established e-signature provider through its API and webhooks. For regulated approvals inside the product, we build signing with re-authentication, a stated meaning, a locked document version and a link to the audit trail.
Common mistakes.
- 01
Treating a checkbox as enough for a use where the law or customer expects stronger proof.
- 02
Letting a signed document be edited afterwards without voiding the signature.
- 03
Storing the signature image but not who signed, when and on which version.
Read the official text.
Primary sources this definition is based on.
- 15 U.S.C. 7001, the ESIGN Act general rule (govinfo)checked 2026-10-25
- 21 CFR Part 11, Electronic records; electronic signatures (eCFR)checked 2026-10-25
Related terms.
- Audit trailA secure, time-stamped history of who created, changed or deleted a record, kept so the record can be trusted later.
- GxP (good practice regulations)The family of good practice rules, such as manufacturing (GMP), clinical (GCP) and laboratory (GLP) practice, that regulated life sciences work must follow.
- Maker-checker (four-eyes principle)A control where one person makes a change and a different person must approve it before it takes effect.
- WebhookAn HTTP request one system sends to a URL you choose as soon as an event happens, so you do not have to keep asking.
- Audit logA record of who did what in a system, when and from where, kept so actions can be traced later.
Guides and pages
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