# Technical air gap

A technical air gap isolates the signing environment behind a cross-domain solution: data flows one way through a hardware data diode with deep content filtering, in real time. The signing system can receive transaction requests but is physically incapable of being reached or exfiltrated over the network.

## How a cross-domain solution secures signing

The diode enforces one-way flow in hardware, not software configuration; content filters validate every message against strict schemas before it reaches the signing domain; responses leave through a separately controlled path. The result is cold storage with near-online turnaround.

Taurus deploys technical air gap cold storage in production, meeting regimes that demand both isolation and real-time operations, complementing the physical air gap mode for the strictest cases.

FAQ:

- What is the advantage over a physical air gap? Speed. A technical air gap signs in near real time because requests flow through the diode continuously, while a physical air gap requires manual, media-based transfer. Institutions often run both: technical for scale, physical for the deepest reserves.

Related: https://www.taurushq.com/glossary/data-diode/ https://www.taurushq.com/glossary/physical-air-gap/ https://www.taurushq.com/security/air-gapped-custody/

Learn more: https://www.taurushq.com/glossary/technical-air-gap/