Peer-to-peer (P2P) application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow an application to create, import, export, manage, enumerate, and delete P2P identities are presented. Further, the management of group identity information is provided. APIs abstract away from low level credential and cryptographic functions required to create and manage P2P identities. This management includes retrieval and setting of a friendly name, generation of a cryptographic public/private key pair, retrieval of security information in the form of an XML fragment, and creation of a new name based on an existing identity. Since the P2P environment also allows for the existence of multiple separate groups of peers within the P2P cloud, a preferred embodiment of the present invention also allows for the enumeration of all groups associated with a given identity, for each identity existing for the user.