https://docs.ayshell.dev/tags/gpg/Recent content in Gpg on DocumentationHugo -- 0.147.5enWed, 20 Aug 2025 12:59:29 +0530https://docs.ayshell.dev/posts/gpg/gpg-101/Wed, 20 Aug 2025 12:59:29 +0530https://docs.ayshell.dev/posts/gpg/gpg-101/<h1 id="what-is-gpg--pgp">What is GPG / PGP?</h1> <p>GnuPG (<em>aka GPG</em>) is an implementation of standard known as PGP (<em>Pretty Good Privacy</em>). It uses a system of &ldquo;Public&rdquo; and &ldquo;Private&rdquo; keys for the encryption and signing of message or data.</p> <h2 id="private-key">Private Key</h2> <ul> <li>Private keys are the first half of a GPG key which is <strong>used to decrypt messages</strong> that are encrypted using public keys.</li> <li>Also used for signing messages - a way to prove that you own the key.</li> <li><strong>Obviously, you must not share the private keys anywhere</strong>.</li> </ul> <h2 id="public-key">Public Key</h2> <ul> <li>Public keys are the second half of a GPG key which is <strong>used to encrypt messages</strong> for the owner of private key.</li> <li>It is <strong>safe to share it anywhere publicly</strong>, as it can <strong><em>only be used to encrypt</em></strong> messages for the owner of the private key. In simple terms, owning just the public key is useless unless you own the private key.</li> </ul> <hr> <h1 id="why-use-gpg">Why Use GPG?</h1> <p>GPG (<em>GNU Privacy Guard</em>) provides encryption and digital signing to:</p>