armored block

an armored block is pgp data wrapped in -----begin/end----- lines so keys and messages survive copy-paste, email and chat apps intact.

raw pgp data is binary, and binary does not survive contact with email clients, forums or messaging apps. ascii armoring solves this: the binary is encoded as base64-ish text sandwiched between marker lines like -----begin pgp public key block----- and -----end pgp public key block-----, with a checksum line to catch corruption.

each marker announces what is inside: public key block, private key block, message (encrypted), signed message, or signature. learning to glance at the header and know what you are looking at is a genuinely useful reflex before you paste something sensitive into the wrong box.

the classic failure mode is mangling: chat apps strip line breaks or wrap lines badly, producing armor that fails to parse even though the content is fine. that is exactly what our armor cleaner fixes - restored newlines, proper 64-character wrapping, and a repair report telling you what was wrong.

safe handling note: a private key block deserves paranoia. paste it only into tools you trust running locally, and never send your private key block to anyone for any reason - no legit admin, support agent or verification bot ever needs it.