Asymmetric cryptography

Asymmetric cryptography is a cryptographic system that uses a pair of mathematically related keys for encryption and decryption. Unlike symmetric cryptography, where the same key is used for both operations, asymmetric cryptography employs two distinct keys: a public key and a private key.

The public key is openly shared or published, while the private key is kept secret and known only to the owner. The keys are mathematically linked in such a way that data encrypted with one key can only be decrypted with the corresponding key from the pair.