keystroke

Keystroke refers to the act of pressing and releasing a key on a keyboard. In computing, a keystroke commonly denotes the input event generated when a key is actuated, which may carry information about the physical key pressed, the resulting character, and the time at which the press occurred. The exact data depends on the environment: some systems report a key identity (such as the physical key) while others report the character produced after applying keyboard layout and modifiers such as Shift or AltGr.

Hardware-wise, keyboards rely on switches beneath each key. The two main families are mechanical and membrane (rubber dome); differences in actuation force, travel, and latency affect feel and response. Each physical key corresponds to a key code (or scancode) that software can interpret, while the produced character depends on the current keyboard layout, language, and modifiers.

In software, keystrokes are handled through input events or APIs (for example, keydown and keyup events). They enable typing, text input, and shortcut commands, and they can be recorded or intercepted by utilities such as keyloggers or accessibility tools. Legitimate uses include input method editors, password fields, and keyboard-driven control in applications and games.

Keystroke privacy and security are considerations, since logging keystrokes can reveal sensitive information; modern systems provide protections such as input privacy controls and secure input methods. Keystroke dynamics—analyzing timing between keystrokes—has been explored for user authentication and fraud detection. The concept has historical roots in typewriters and teleprinters, and it remains fundamental to modern digital input across devices.