What Is The Difference Between Hashing And Encryption?
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Hashing and encryption are both methods used to protect data and ensure its confidentiality, integrity, and availability, but they differ in several ways. Hashing is a one–way function that takes an input of any length and produces an output of a fixed length called a hash. Hashes are often used to verify the integrity of a file after it has been transferred from one location to another without the need for the original copy. Encryption, on the other hand, is a two–way process that takes plain text (or other data) and uses an algorithm and a key to turn it into an unreadable format (ciphertext). Decryption requires the same key to reverse the process and return the plain text. Encryption ensures the confidentiality of the data while hashing ensures its integrity.
The main difference between hashing and encryption is that hashing is a one-way function that cannot be reversed, while encryption is a two-way function that can be reversed. Hashing uses a mathematical algorithm to transform the inputted data into a unique fixed-length value, while encryption uses an encryption key to encrypt and decrypt the data. In addition, hashing is mainly used for data verification and integrity checking, while encryption is used to protect data confidentiality and privacy.