A cryptographic key used with a public key cryptographic

algorithm, uniquely associated with an entity, and not made

public. This key is used to create digital signatures, or to

decrypt messages or files. It is the key that you alone know,

allowing you to decrypt messages sent to you using your public key.

A cryptographic key used with a public key cryptographic algorithm,

uniquely associated with an entity, and which is available publicly. It

is used to verify signatures that were created with the matched private

 key. Public keys are also used to encrypt messages or files that can

only be decrypted using the matched private key. You can freely

distribute your public key to other people, allowing them to

communicate with you securely.