A Sling Wallet is a self-custody wallet on the Solana blockchain.
Every Solana wallet has both a public key and a private key using a type of cryptography called assymetric cryptography. These keys are used to access your wallet and are extremely important.
Your public key is a string of letters and numbers which is used to generate your wallet address. Your public key and your wallet address are public information and are used to find your wallet on the Solana blockchain and to send you money or other forms of value. You do not need to do anything special to keep your public key or wallet address safe, although you should be aware that anyone who has it can transact with you -- whether you want them to or not.
Your private key is a string of letters and numbers which is used to access the contents of your wallet and can be used to send money and other forms of value in your wallet to other people. It is essential that you keep your private key safe and never reveal it to anyone else. Think about this as having your own safe to store your Solana. If you reveal your private key to other people they can access your wallet and steal your money.
You can learn more about how Sling Money and its partners help you keep your private key safe by reading our article on self-custody.