What is the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?

What is the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?

The main difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption lies in the way encryption and decryption keys are used.

Symmetric encryption uses a single key for both encryption and decryption. This means that the same key is used to both scramble and unscramble the data. The key needs to be securely shared between the sender and the receiver beforehand. Examples of symmetric encryption algorithms include AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) and DES (Data Encryption Standard).

On the other hand, asymmetric encryption uses a pair of keys: a public key and a private key. The public key is used for encryption, while the private key is used for decryption. The public key can be freely shared with anyone, while the private key must be kept secret. This allows for secure communication without the need to share a secret key. Examples of asymmetric encryption algorithms include RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adleman) and ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography).

In summary, symmetric encryption uses a single shared key for both encryption and decryption, while asymmetric encryption uses a pair of keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption.