Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA)

Written by Saurabh Deshpande

Introduction

ECDSA or Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm is a digital signature scheme based on elliptic curve cryptography where public and private keys are generated using elliptic curve functions. The algorithm ensures that the funds can only be accessed and spent by the rightful owners.

Elliptic curve cryptography has been around since the mid-1990s but gained popularity after bitcoin used ECDSA to generate public and private key pairs. In public key cryptography ‘trapdoor’ function underpins the notion of the public and private key. Trapdoor function is a one-way function, where one can easily arrive at the output from a given input but it is incredibly difficult to arrive at the input if the output is known.

A private key is randomly generated and it is known only to the person who generated it, usually the account holder. This is the key which the user can access the funds. The public key is generated using the randomly generated private key.

Suggested Reading

The Math Behind Bitcoin by By Eric Rykwalder

What is the math behind elliptic curve cryptography? by Hans Knutson

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