Public-key cryptography

Public-key cryptography, or asymmetric cryptography, is the field of cryptographic systems that use pairs of related keys. Each key pair consists of a public key and a corresponding private key. Key pairs are generated with algorithms based on mathematical problems termed one-way functions.

Security of public-key cryptography depends on keeping the private key secret; the public key can be openly distributed without compromising security.
There are many kinds of public-key cryptosystems, with different security goals, including digital signature, Diffie–Hellman key exchange, public-key key encapsulation, and public-key encryption.

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Source: Wikipedia · Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

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