Asymmetric encryption

Asymmetric encryption, also known as public-key encryption, is a method of encrypting data that uses two different keys for the encryption and decryption process. These keys are known as the public key and the private key. The public key is shared openly and can be used by anyone to encrypt data, while the private key is kept secret and is used to decrypt the data.

In a typical scenario, when someone wants to send a secure message to another person, they would use the recipient's public key to encrypt the message. Once the message is encrypted, it can only be decrypted by someone who has the corresponding private key, which should be the intended recipient.

This encryption method provides several advantages over symmetric encryption, such as enhanced security due to the separation of encryption and decryption keys, and easier key distribution since only the public key needs to be shared. However, asymmetric encryption is generally slower than symmetric encryption due to the complexity of the algorithms involved.