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Q&A What is the difference between hashing and encryption?

I would say the difference is one of intent. In encryption, the objective is to hide the information contained in such a way that third parties cannot get it, but approved second parties can retri...

posted 3mo ago by aghast‭

Answer
#1: Initial revision by user avatar aghast‭ · 2024-02-13T21:21:51Z (3 months ago)
I would say the difference is one of *intent.* 

In encryption, the objective is to hide the information contained in such a way that third parties cannot get it, but approved second parties can retrieve it (with the key). In pursuit of this, security is the primary goal, with performance as a secondary goal.

The **intent** of encryption is to hide the data, but eventually be able to recover it.

In hashing, the objective is to map incoming data to a pre-determined range of values, with unpredictability and performance as primary goals. No consideration is given to the ability to retrieve the data, but no consideration is given to *avoiding* retrieval of the data. Secondary goals will include distribution of result values, avoiding collisions, etc.

The **intent** of hashing is to convert the data into a smaller, simpler form that can be used as a proxy for the original data.