Definition ∞ Key issuance overhead refers to the computational and resource costs associated with generating, distributing, and managing cryptographic keys within a system. This includes the processing power, memory, and network bandwidth required for these operations. In large-scale decentralized systems, minimizing this overhead is crucial for maintaining efficiency and scalability. High key issuance overhead can impede the adoption and performance of secure applications.
Context ∞ Reducing key issuance overhead is a significant area of research in cryptography and blockchain security, particularly for protocols supporting numerous users or frequent key rotations. Innovations in techniques like aggregate signatures and threshold cryptography aim to streamline key management processes. News related to protocol upgrades often highlights improvements in cryptographic efficiency, which directly addresses this overhead and enhances network performance.