GlossaryAdvanced
Elliptic Curve Cryptography
The mathematical basis most crypto wallets use to generate key pairs.
Elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) is a mathematical approach used to generate and relate public and private key pairs, forming the cryptographic foundation most crypto wallets rely on for signing and verifying transactions.
It provides strong security with comparatively smaller key sizes than some older cryptographic approaches, which is part of why it's widely used across the industry. See Kaavon's "Private Key," "Public Key," and "Digital Signature" glossary definitions for the specific pieces ECC's math actually produces and connects.
Examples
- Bitcoin and Ethereum both rely on elliptic curve cryptography to generate and verify key pairs.
- ECC's relatively small key sizes make it practical for everyday wallet software to use.