GNOME.org

Key Concepts and Terms

Glossary — A list of basic terms used.
Public Key vs Private Key — A public key is used to encrypt communication. A private key is used to decrypt it.
What is a PGP key? — PGP keys are used to sign and encrypt emails and files.
What is a Secure Shell key? — SSH keys are used to login to a remote computer, once a secure connection has been established.
What is a key fingerprint? — The key fingerprint is a unique ID for each key, often used to verify the ownership of a key
What is a keyring? — A keyring is used to group related passwords and keys.