Public Key
cryptography · technical
Cryptographic data used to verify signatures made by the corresponding private key.
1.general
A public key lets others verify that a signature matches a corresponding private key. Publishing it does not reveal the private key under the assumed security of the signature scheme, but it can affect privacy and future cryptographic exposure.
2.addresses
Some addresses encode a hash of a public key, while others encode scripts, programs, or accounts. A spend can reveal the public key or script that was previously hidden behind the address commitment.
3.considerations
Reusing one key or address can make activity easier to link. Public-key exposure also matters in post-quantum planning because sufficiently capable quantum computers would threaten common elliptic-curve signature schemes.
Related terms
Private Key
→A secret number used to sign transactions and prove permission to spend.
cryptography · security · wallet
Signature
→A cryptographic proof that a message was authorized by the holder of a private key.
cryptography
Address
→The destination you share to receive a cryptocurrency payment on a particular network.
wallet · technical
Schnorr Signatures
→A digital signature scheme with linear properties that can improve verification, multi-signature design, and privacy.
bch · scaling
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