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=== Introduction
((("digital keys", see="keys and addresses")))((("keys and addresses", "overview of", id="KAover04")))Ownership of bitcoin is established through _digital keys_, _bitcoin addresses_, and _digital signatures_. The digital keys are not actually stored in the network, but are instead created and stored by users in a file, or simple database, called a _wallet_. The digital keys in a user's wallet are completely independent of the bitcoin protocol and can be generated and managed by the user's wallet software without reference to the blockchain or access to the internet. Keys enable many of the interesting properties of bitcoin, including decentralized trust and control, ownership attestation, and the cryptographic-proof security model.
((("digital keys", see="keys and addresses")))((("keys and addresses", "overview of", id="KAover04")))((("digital signatures")))Ownership of bitcoin is established through _digital keys_, _bitcoin addresses_, and _digital signatures_. The digital keys are not actually stored in the network, but are instead created and stored by users in a file, or simple database, called a _wallet_. The digital keys in a user's wallet are completely independent of the bitcoin protocol and can be generated and managed by the user's wallet software without reference to the blockchain or access to the internet. Keys enable many of the interesting properties of bitcoin, including decentralized trust and control, ownership attestation, and the cryptographic-proof security model.
Every bitcoin transaction requires a valid digital signature to be included in the blockchain, which can only be generated with a secret key; therefore, anyone with a copy of that key has control of the bitcoin in that account. The digital signature used to spend funds is also referred to as a _witness_, a term used in cryptography. The witness data in a bitcoin transaction testifies to the true ownership of the funds being spent.
Every bitcoin transaction requires a valid digital signature to be included in the blockchain, which can only be generated with a secret key; therefore, anyone with a copy of that key has control of the bitcoin in that account. ((("witnesses")))The digital signature used to spend funds is also referred to as a _witness_, a term used in cryptography. The witness data in a bitcoin transaction testifies to the true ownership of the funds being spent.
Keys come in pairs consisting of a private (secret) key and a public key. Think of the public key as similar to a bank account number and the private key as similar to the secret PIN, or signature on a check that provides control over the account. These digital keys are very rarely seen by the users of bitcoin. For the most part, they are stored inside the wallet file and managed by the bitcoin wallet software.