Symmetric vs. Asymmetric Encryption, What’s the Difference?

Symmetric encryption is a type of encryption where both the sender and receiver of a message share the same key. This key is used to encrypt the message, and then the receiver uses the same key to decrypt it. Symmetric encryption is fast and efficient, but it has one major drawback: the key needs to be shared between the sender and receiver in a secure way. If the key is intercepted, then the attacker can decrypt all of the messages that are encrypted with that key.

Asymmetric encryption is a type of encryption where the sender and receiver use different keys. The sender uses one key to encrypt the message, and the receiver uses the other key to decrypt it. The keys are mathematically related, but it is very difficult to figure out one key from the other. This makes asymmetric encryption much more secure than symmetric encryption, but it is also slower and more computationally expensive.

Asymmetric encryption is often used in conjunction with symmetric encryption. The asymmetric encryption is used to exchange the symmetric key, which is then used to encrypt the actual message. This way, the message is encrypted with a key that is not shared with anyone else, which makes it much more secure.

Here is a table that summarizes the differences between symmetric and asymmetric encryption: