Question 1

What is the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption?

Accepted Answer

Symmetric encryption uses the same key for both encryption and decryption — algorithms like AES and ChaCha20 are fast and suitable for bulk data encryption. Asymmetric encryption uses a key pair (public and private) — algorithms like RSA and ECC enable secure key exchange and digital signatures without sharing secrets. In practice, most systems use both: asymmetric encryption to exchange a symmetric key, then symmetric encryption for the actual data transfer.

Question 2

Which encryption algorithm should I use for my application?

Accepted Answer

For symmetric encryption, AES-256-GCM is the industry standard offering both confidentiality and integrity. For asymmetric operations, use RSA-2048+ or preferably ECC (Curve25519 or P-256) for better performance. For password hashing, use Argon2id, bcrypt, or scrypt — never raw SHA-256. For message authentication, use HMAC-SHA256. Always use well-tested libraries rather than implementing cryptography yourself, and follow current NIST recommendations.

Encryption Match

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