Passphrase.
Longer than a password, and doing a harder job. A passphrase protects key material itself: your encrypted backup, and any imported OpenPGP key that came protected from GnuPG.
A passphrase is a multi-word secret used to derive an encryption key. Length is the point: each added word multiplies the work an attacker faces far more than clever character substitutions do.
What it is
When you export a backup, your passphrase encrypts it; when you restore, the same passphrase opens it. Imported keys that were passphrase-protected in GnuPG remain protected exactly as they were — CarrierPony never strips that layer.
Why it matters
Whatever protects your keys is the last line of defense if the file protecting them ever leaves your control. A four-or-five-word random phrase is both stronger and easier to remember than the classic eight characters of line noise.
Related terms
Common questions.
How long should a passphrase be?
Four to six randomly chosen words is a strong, memorable baseline. Length beats complexity.
Is the passphrase sent anywhere?
Never. It is used on-device to derive keys and is not stored, transmitted, or recoverable by anyone else.
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