What is Public Key Cryptography?

Asymmetric cryptography or public key cryptography is where 2 keys are used to establish a secure connection between 2 entities in a network. Public key cryptography utilizes asymmetric encryption. The private key is kept only with the owner of the website, the server, or with whom you want to communicate. The public key is distributed among the clients and the userbase. The data encrypted using the public key can only be decrypted by the private key. Asymmetric cryptography thus protects against Man in the Middle attacks and attacks where the data-in-transit might be compromised or modified.