Difference Between Hashing and Encryption

Hashing vs Encryption: A Technical Comparison of Two Data Protection Techniques

Hashing and encryption aren’t interchangeable yet they’re often confused. Both transform data into unreadable formats. But what they protect and how they work are fundamentally different.

Encryption keeps data confidential and reversible with a key. While hashing creates a one-way fingerprint to verify integrity. This guide unpacks the core difference between hashing and encryption.

What is Hashing?

Hashing is a cryptographic technique that transforms any input (data, file, password) into a fixed length string of characters known as hash value. It supports password handling securely, maintains data integrity and even plays a huge role in digital signatures.

Hashing is a one-time process, which means once the input is hashed, it cannot be restored to its original form. In essence, a hash is smaller than the text that produces it. It is generated in a way that a similar hash with the same value cannot be produced by another text. Hashing transforms data into a unique output that supports fast access, secure comparisons, and integrity checks in communication systems.

This concept is critical in systems where large amounts of data need to be verified without revealing the original content. For e.g., login systems never store actual passwords, they store their hashes.

As a rule of the thumb, hashing will have the following attributes:

• A given known input must always produce one known output.
• Once data is hashed, it is impossible to reverse to get the input.
• Different multiple inputs should give different output.
• Modifying an input should mean a change in the hash.

These characteristics make hashing suitable for:

• Secure password storage in databases
• Ensuring file integrity during downloads or transfers
• Verifying digital signatures and signed software
• Blockchain validation, where each block is linked by its hash to the previous one

Most modern hash functions such as SHA-256 algorithm or SHA-3 produce fixed-length outputs regardless of input size. This also enables what’s called the Avalanche Effect, where a small change in input leads to a drastically different hash, which makes tampering easy to detect.

A hash algorithm is a function that can be used to map out data of random size to data of fixed size. Hash values, hash codes and hash sums are returned by functions during hashing. These are different types of hashing algorithms used in computing, but some like MD5 and SHA-1 have been discarded over time.  Some prevalent examples are given below:

Types of Hashing Algorithms

• MD4

  It is a hash function created by Ronald Rivest in 1990. It has a length of 128 bits and has influenced many posterior designs like WMD5, WRIPEMD and WSHA family. The security of this algorithm has, however been criticized even by the creator himself.

• SHA – Secure Hash Algorithm

  Secure Hash Algorithm was developed by the National Security Agency in 1993 to be used in their digital signature algorithm. SHA-1 had 160 bits and was widely used in digital signatures, but now it is replaced by its upgraded version SHA-2 (256 bit). (How to move from SHA1 to SHA2 algorithm?)

• SHA-3

  Released in 2015 and based on the Keccak algorithm, SHA-3 is a newer hash function offering robust resistance against various attack types. It’s not a replacement for SHA-2 but rather an alternative standard.

• BLAKE2 / BLAKE3

  BLAKE2 offers faster performance than MD5, SHA-1, or SHA-2, with strong security. BLAKE3 is even faster and designed for parallel processing. These are ideal for high-speed hashing and file integrity checks.

• Argon2

  Specifically built for password hashing, Argon2 is memory-hard, making it resistant to brute-force attacks and GPUs. It’s the current recommended standard for storing passwords securely.

• RIPMEND

  It is a cryptographic hash algorithm designed by Hans Dobbertin under the EU’s RIPE project. It has a length of 160 bits, and it remains the most secure variant. The 256 and 320-bit versions offer longer digests but do not improve collision resistance.

• WHIRLPOOL Algorithm

  Vincent Rijmen and Paul Barreto designed this, it has a length of 2256 bits and produces the 512-bit message digest. The algorithm has gone through two updates and is mostly used in open-source systems.

• TIGER Algorithm

  A fast algorithm introduced in 1995, TIGER is optimized for 64-bit systems and performs 24 rounds of processing. It hashes more than 132M bits per second, used in file sharing networks and torrent platforms. Thus, it has proved to be more efficient than all the hashing algorithms discussed, without any restrictions on its usage, that means it has no patents.

Purpose of Hashing

• Hashing can be used to compare a large amount of data. Hash values can be created for different data, meaning that it is easier to compare hashes than the data itself.
• Makes it easier to find records in large datasets since searches can be done using hash values instead of raw data.
• Used in things like digital signatures and message verification, where even a small change in input will completely change the hash. That makes it useful for spotting tampering.
• It even shows up in fields like computer graphics. For example, geometric hashing – sometimes called the grid method – is used to solve proximity problems, like finding nearby objects on a plane. This method is also used in areas like telecom and spatial analysis.

What is Encryption?

Encryption is the process of transforming readable data into an unreadable format. Speaking of it technically, encryption converts plaintext into ciphertext. This conversion uses mathematical formulas and a private key so only authorized or those that have access can reverse it. In short, encryption takes your data and locks it inside a secure code. This mechanism serves two main purposes:

1. Maintaining privacy
2. Verifying integrity

Privacy keeps a tab that unauthorized users can’t view the data, whether it’s being transmitted or stored. Integrity confirms the data hasn’t been altered and that it came from a trusted source.

At a basic level, a plaintext is run through an algorithm using a key to produce ciphertext, known as encryption. Later, the ciphertext can be converted back into plaintext using either the same key (symmetric encryption) or a different, paired key (asymmetric encryption), known as decryption. The entire security model relies on the secrecy and strength of that key. Thus, if it’s compromised, so is the data.

Modern encryption methods are designed to be practically unbreakable. AES‑256 encryption is so secure that cracking it would take more time than the age of the universe even with today’s powerful supercomputers.

You probably are familiar with encryption and use it daily without knowing it. When you access an HTTPS secured site, encryption is what keeps your passwords, credit card info, and other details safe. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp and Signal use end‑to‑end encryption. When your phone uploads information to the cloud, encryption is active, and it is quietly protecting personal data. Encryption, therefore, safeguards everything from financial transactions to personal conversations.

Encryption is not just encoding data but more. It makes sure that your personal info stays secure and that the sensitive communications stay between the intended parties.

Types of Encryption Algorithms

Symmetric Encryption

This is the simpler form of encryption. It has one key that secures the data (encrypt) and the same key to unlock (decrypt). The key can be a password, phrase or random string of characters. As both parties require the same key, sharing it securely is tricky. But once that’s sorted, symmetric encryption is fast and efficient. It is perfect for encrypting large files or data streams. AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) is the go-to here. It’s widely used in VPNs, SSL/TLS connections, and encrypted file systems. Older algorithms like 3DES and Blowfish are still around too, although phased out in many cases.

Asymmetric Encryption

This one’s a bit more complex. Instead of one key, it uses two: public and private key. A public key anyone can have, and private key stays with the recipient. Data encrypted with the public key can only be decrypted by the private key. That’s what makes it useful for secure communication over the internet. You can send encrypted info without ever needing to share a secret key in advance. It’s slower than symmetric encryption, but it solves the key distribution problem and also enables digital signatures. RSA is the most well-known algorithm here, but ECC (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) and DSA are also commonly used.

Hybrid Encryption

Most modern systems actually use a mix of the two methods. This is what’s called hybrid encryption. Typically, asymmetric encryption is used at the start to securely exchange a symmetric key. Then, that symmetric key is used for the actual data encryption. Why? Because symmetric encryption is much faster for large datasets. This combo gives you the best of both worlds: secure key exchange and high performance. HTTPS works this way, as do many secure messaging apps and email services.

Purpose of Encryption

The primary concept of encryption is to protect data against unauthorized user who seeks to read or access information in a message that is not for them. Encryption strengthens security during message transmission via the internet or using any specific network. The following are key elements of security that encryption helps to enhance.

• Confidentiality – Encrypted message cannot be read or changed by another person.
• Encrypt – It transforms data in such a way that only specific individuals can transform the message.
• Granular access control – Users are limited to what they can see and do.
• It makes auditing for accountability easy. In the case of message leaked, it is easy to trace who did that and when thus security breaches can be sorted out efficiently.
• Authentication – the origin of the message received can be traced thus facilitating authentication.

Some of the most popular encryption algorithms are AES and PGP. AES is a symmetric encryption algorithm while PGP is an example of an asymmetric encryption algorithm used today.

The Difference Between Hashing and Encryption

Hashing is used to verify the integrity of content by detecting any modifications and subsequent changes to the hash output. Encryption transforms data primarily to ensure its confidentiality and security. It requires a private key to reversible function encrypted text to plain text.

In short, encryption is a two-way function that includes encryption and decryption whilst hashing is a one-way function that changes a plain text to a unique digest that is irreversible.

Hashing and encryption are different but also have some similarities. They are both ideal in handling data, messages, and information in computing systems. They both transform or change data into a different format. While encryption is reversible, hashing is not. Future improvements are very crucial given that attackers keep changing tactics. This implies that an up-to-date way of hashing and encrypting is more palatable in modern computing systems.