putkey

Putkey is a term used in computing to describe an operation that stores or updates a value associated with a key in a data structure or storage system. The exact meaning varies by context, but it generally denotes the action of placing a key-value pair into a container or key management facility.

In programming languages and libraries, putkey commonly refers to a function or method that inserts or updates an entry in a map, dictionary, or database-backed collection. Typical behavior: if the key exists, its value is updated and the previous value may be returned; if not, a new entry is created. Return values and error handling depend on the API. Examples include map.put(key, value) in Java, or putKey in custom APIs. Some implementations are thread-safe or support atomicity.

In security and cryptography, putKey (or importKey) describes adding a cryptographic key to a keystore, hardware security module, or key management service. This often involves an alias or identifier, validation of key format, possible encryption of key material, and access controls. The operation may require authentication and may produce a handle or reference to the stored key.

Because "putkey" is not standardized, developers should consult the relevant library's documentation to understand its semantics, return values, and error conditions in a given context.