Public Key Cryptography, also known as asymmetric cryptography, is a method of securing communication between two parties through the use of a pair of keys – a public key and a private key. The public key is used to encrypt messages, while the private key is used to decrypt them. Public keys are made publicly available, while private keys are kept secret. This method ensures that only the intended recipient can decrypt and read the message, while everyone else only sees an encrypted version of it. It is widely used in internet security protocols such as SSL/TLS, SSH, and in digital signatures.
