What is Symmetric Encryption?

If you are asking yourself what is symmetric encryption?.

Then in this post, you'll learn:

• What is Symmetric Encryption?
• Types of symmetric encryption algorithms.

So if you’re ready to go “all in” with Symmetric Encryption, this post is for you.

Let’s dive right in.

What is Symmetric Encryption?

If you want to send encrypted messages to your friends, your boss, and colleagues at work. Then today we will talk about how you can encrypt your messages.

But before that, we will talk about how you log into your accounts on the internet. You use a password to log into to your facebook, gmail, and other websites, But if you use a wrong one, they will not allow you to login.

But when you use the right password. you will log into your accounts and start using them.

So it is very simple equation:

If you use the right password, you will log into your account.

If you use a wrong password, you will not log into your account.

When you want to send an encrypted message. you will also use a password to protect your message. Only people who know the right password can read the original message.

Let’s take a real life example:

You want to send an encrypted message to your closest friend. You encrypt it by using a password, and then you will send it to your friend.

When he gets your encrypted message. if he has the right password, he can read your message, but if he has wrong passwor, he can't read it.

So, before you send him an encrypted message. you should first give him the right password that you will use to encrypt and decrypt messages.

And when he wants to send you an encrypted message. he will use the same password to encrypt his message, and you will use it to decrypt it. Both of you use the same password to encrypt and decrypt messages.

In cryptography when we use the same password to encrypt and decrypt messages. we call it symmetric cryptography, And this password is called secret key.

I used the word password just to make it easier to explain. So from now we will call it secret key.

First, what is a key?

It is Secret value like a password, And we use it to encrypt and decrypt messages.

In symmetric encryption, we use the same key to encrypt and decrypt messages.
it must be kept secret, and only the sender and the receiver should know it.

Types of symmetric encryption algorithms:

There are two types of symmetric encryption algorithm. The first is stream cipher, and the second is block cipher.

Stream cipher:

This type of ciphers encrypt plaintext data one bit at a time.

In this type of ciphers the encryption process happens bit by bit, and the data gets processed in a stream.

This type of ciphers are fast, and don't use a lot of resources.

Block cipher:

First the plaintext breaks down into fixed-length groups of bits ( we call them blocks ), And then each block gets encrypted as a unit.

List of articles about Cryptography:

The other type of encryption is asymmetric encryption for more details read the article:

What is asymmetric encryption?

For more details about what is cryptography read the article:

What is cryptography?