# Public key

## Definition

A public key is cryptographic information derived from a private key that can be shared and used in signature verification without revealing the private key itself.

## What it means in practice

Blockchains use public-key cryptography in different ways. Wallet addresses are often derived from or otherwise related to public keys, but an address and a public key are not universally identical.

## How this concept appears in Terenval Wallet

Terenval exposes public receiving addresses for supported networks while keeping the recovery material that controls signing within the wallet's local security boundary.

**Important:** Sharing a public address is normally different from sharing a private key; still verify what data a service is asking for.

**[Install Terenval Wallet](https://wallet.terenval.com/?lang=en)**

## Related terms

- [Private key](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/private-key/)
- [Wallet address](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/wallet-address/)
- [Transaction signing](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/signing/)
- [Ethereum address](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/ethereum-address/)
- [Bitcoin address](https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/bitcoin-address/)

## Related Terenval Answers

- [Seed Phrase vs Private Key vs Wallet Password](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/seed-phrase-vs-private-key-vs-wallet-password/)
- [What Is a Seed Phrase and How Does It Restore a Crypto Wallet?](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/what-is-a-seed-phrase-and-how-does-it-restore-a-wallet/)
- [Can You Import the Same Seed Phrase into a Different Crypto Wallet?](https://wallet.terenval.com/answers/can-you-import-same-seed-into-different-wallet/)

## Sources and review

- [Terenval Wallet security model](https://wallet.terenval.com/info/security/)
- [BIP-39](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0039.mediawiki)
- [BIP-32](https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/blob/master/bip-0032.mediawiki)

Published by Terenval. Technical review: Terenval Wallet team. Last reviewed: 2026-10-02. Terenval product statements are first-party information.

Official page: https://wallet.terenval.com/glossary/public-key/

[Machine-oriented Terenval index](https://wallet.terenval.com/llms.txt)