ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Asymmetric cryptography

Asymmetric cryptography is like having a secret code to keep your messages safe. Imagine you have a special lock with two keys: a public key and a private key. Your public key is like a special padlock that anyone can use to lock up your messages. But only you have the private key to unlock them.

When you want to send a secret message to your friend, you can lock the message with their public key. No one else can unlock it because they don't have the private key. Then your friend can use their private key to unlock the message and read it.

This is really useful when you need to send a message to someone you don't know very well or don't trust completely. You can be sure that only they can read your message, even if someone else intercepts it.

Asymmetric cryptography is also used to make sure that websites and online stores are secure. When you enter your credit card information, it's locked up with the website's public key so no one else can steal your info. And only the online store can use their private key to unlock it and process your order.

So, in summary, asymmetric cryptography is like a special lock with two keys: a public key and a private key. You can use someone's public key to lock up a message, and only they can unlock it with their private key. This keeps your messages and information safe from prying eyes.