Asymmetric encryption, also known as public-key cryptography, is a type of encryption that uses a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. The keys are mathematically related, but it is computationally infeasible to derive the private key from the public key.

Public Key: The public key is a string that can be shared openly

Private Key: The private key is a secret cryptographic code that must be kept confidential. It is used to decrypt data encrypted with the corresponding public key or to create digital signatures.

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Common Asymmetric Encryption Algorithms:

  1. RSA - Rivest–Shamir–Adleman

  2. ECC - Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECDSA) - ETH and BTC

  3. EdDSA - Edwards-curve Digital Signature Algorithm  - SOL

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How eliptic curves work - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF1pwjL9-DE&

Common eleptic curves

  1. secp256k1 - BTC and ETH
  2. ed25519 - SOL

Few usecases of public key cryptography -

  1. SSL/TLS certificates
  2. SSH keys to connect to servers/push to github
  3. Blockchains and cryptocurrencies