Symmetric and Asymmetric Encryption
Nowadays we hear the word encryption in almost everywhere. But what is encryption? Well, according to Wikipedia, encryption is:
In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding a message or information in such a way that only authorized parties can access it and those who are not authorized cannot.
In another word, this means that encryption is a method or mechanism that enables you to hide your message or data in a way that only the authorized people can access it. For instance: you want to send a message to your granny saying you love her but you don’t anyone else to read the message. In this article, I’m going to write, in an abstract and simple way, about two encryption methods: symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption.
Symmetric encryption
In symmetric encryption, you use the same key for both encryption and decryption of your data or message. Taking the example I gave above, sending a secure message to your granny, both of you need to have the same key in order to encrypt and decrypt the messages that you may exchange with each other.
Have a look at the following image: