Back to glossary

Public Key

In the context of crypto, a public key is a code that is used to receive a cryptocurrency. It is a string of numbers and letters that is generated by a cryptographic algorithm and is unique to each individual crypto address.

The public key can be shared publicly, as it is used to receive funds. However, it cannot be used to spend or access the funds without the corresponding private key. It is derived from the private key using a one-way function, meaning that it is practically impossible to reverse-engineer the private key from the public key.