A public key is a key calculated from your private keyPrivate keyA secret number that proves you own the crypto in your wallet. Whoever holds the private key controls the crypto.. Together they form a key pair. The private key is the secret, and the public key is the part anyone can safely see.
How does a public key work?
Think of an old signet ring. Only the owner of the ring can press the seal into the wax, but anyone can compare the seal with a picture of it and see that it is genuine. The private key is the ring and the public key is the picture.
When you send crypto, your wallet signs the transaction with the private key. NodesNodeA computer that runs a crypto network's software, keeps a copy of the blockchain and checks that new transactions and blocks follow the rules. on the network use the public key to check that the signature is valid. You prove ownership without showing anyone the secret.
The calculation only works one way. Getting a public key from a private key is easy, but going back is practically impossible. This rests on cryptographyCryptographyMathematical methods that protect information and prove who sent it, forming the basis of security in crypto..
Public key and wallet address
Most people never see their public key. What you see is a wallet addressWallet addressA string of letters and numbers you give out to receive crypto, much like a bank account number., which is usually created by hashingHashA short fingerprint calculated from data, which changes completely if the data is altered by even a single character. the public key. On Ethereum, for example, the address is made from part of the public key's hash and starts with 0x.
The address is shorter and more practical than the public key. It is what you give someone who wants to send you crypto.
Everything in Myntkaup Learn is written and regularly reviewed by the Myntkaup editorial team. It is for education and is not investment advice. Editorial policy. Updated 18 October 2026.