Asymmetric Encryption uses two distinct, yet related keys. One key, the Public Key, is used for encryption and the other, the Private Key, is for decryption. As implied in the name, the Private Key is intended to be private so that only the authenticated recipient can decrypt the message.

Public-key cryptography, or asymmetric cryptography, is a cryptographic system which uses pairs of keys: public keys (which may be known to others), and private keys (which may never be known by any except the owner). The generation of such key pairs depends on cryptographic algorithms which are based on mathematical problems termed one-way functions. Effective security requires keeping the private key private; the public key can be openly distributed without compromising security.