Asymmetric Encryption

A cryptographic algorithm that uses two keys: data that is encrypted with one key, can be decrypted with the other.

The advantage of Asymmetric Encryption is that one of the keys can be freely distributed, as long as the other is kept private. So there is no inherent security risk. The one that is distributed freely is called the Public Key, the other one is called the Private Key.

The downside is that Asymmetric Encryption requires a disproportionate amount of computing resources compared to Symmetric Encryption.

For use cases for Symmetric and Asymmetric Encryption, see Encryption.