Private key

As explained in ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e

A private key is a cryptographic key kept secret by its owner and used with a corresponding public key for decryption or signing.

A private key is the secret half of a public-key pair. In HTTPS, the server keeps it private while sharing the corresponding public key with browsers; data encrypted with the public key can be decrypted only with the private key. section 28.2

Private keys appear in two practical roles:

• TLS certificates contain public and private parts; the server uses the private part while establishing HTTPS connections. section 28.2
• JWT development tooling stores signing key material in User Secrets so the API can validate tokens generated by user-jwts. section 25.4.1
• Keep the key secret: exposing it undermines the protection provided by the public-key system. section 28.2

Figure 28.4 The developer certificate is not trusted by default, so apps serving HTTPS traffic using it will be marked as insecure by browsers. Although you can bypass the warnings if necessary, you should instead update the certificate to be trusted.

Use the certificate warning example to connect private-key-based HTTPS with certificate trust and browser behavior. section 28.2

How ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e covers it

How deep it goes

Defines public/private key roles and certificate trust, but stops short of cryptographic algorithm internals.

Examples

Uses ASP.NET Core development certificates and user-jwts signing key material stored in User Secrets.

What it assumes

Introduces public and private keys while explaining their roles in HTTPS certificate handling.

What you can do after

Evaluate how servers use secret key material for HTTPS decryption and JWT authentication.

How it connects

Connects public-key cryptography, TLS certificates, HTTPS, certificate authorities, JWTs, and bearer authentication.

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Also explained in

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  Hacking CryptographyA private key is the secret member of an asymmetric key pair used for operations such as decryption or signature generation.
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  Software Security for DevelopersA private key is the confidential member of a cryptographic key pair used for operations such as decryption or digital signing.
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  Real-World CryptographyA private key is the secret value in a public-key cryptographic key pair used for decryption or other private-key operations.
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  Secure APIsA private key is the secret half of an asymmetric cryptographic key pair used to create digital signatures or perform private-key operations.
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  Elliptic Curve Cryptography for DevelopersThe secret key in an asymmetric cryptographic key pair that is controlled by its owner and used for signing or decryption operations.
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  Road to KubernetesAn SSH private key is the secret member of a cryptographic key pair used to authenticate secure shell connections.
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  Acing the Certified Kubernetes Administrator Exam, Second EditionA private key is the secret cryptographic key used by an identity to prove possession of a public-key credential.
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  Data Pipelines with Apache Airflow, Second EditionA private key is a secret cryptographic key used to decrypt data or create digital signatures.
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  API Design PatternsA private key is the confidential component of an asymmetric cryptographic key pair used to generate digital signatures or perform other private-key operations.
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  Grokking Web Application SecurityA private key is a cryptographic key kept secret and used by its owner for operations such as decryption or digital signing.
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  Investing for ProgrammersA private key is a secret cryptographic value used to sign cryptocurrency transactions and establish control over associated assets.
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  Rust Servers, Services, and AppsA private key is the secret member of a cryptographic key pair used to authenticate its holder or perform private-key cryptographic operations.

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Related concepts

• digital signatureproduces · A digital signature is cryptographic data generated with a private key and verified with corresponding public information to authenticate data or its signer and detect alteration.
• public-private key pairpart of · A public-private key pair is a mathematically related public key and private key used together for asymmetric cryptographic operations.
• ECDSAused by · ECDSA is a public-key digital signature algorithm that uses elliptic-curve arithmetic to generate and verify signatures.
• RSAused by · RSA is a public-key cryptosystem based on the computational difficulty of factoring large composite integers and supporting encryption and digital signatures.
• SSHused by · SSH is a cryptographic network protocol providing authenticated and encrypted remote access, command execution, and data transfer over untrusted networks.
• TLS terminationused by · TLS termination is the process of ending a TLS connection and decrypting its traffic at an endpoint or intermediary for processing or forwarding.

This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of ASP.NET Core in Action, 3e. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.