---
title: "Explain the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption."  
description: "Explain the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption."  
author: "Mukul Goenka"  
published: 2022-05-05  
canonical: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/97140/explain-the-difference-between-symmetric-and-asymmetric-encryption  
category: "troubleshooting"  
tags: ["troubleshooting", "network-security", "networking"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# Explain the difference between symmetric and asymmetric encryption.

[Explain](https://yourviews.mindstick.com/view/86025/content-created-for-humans-not-for-bots-explain-this-statement) the [difference](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/398/difference-between-object-type-and-var-type) between [symmetric and asymmetric](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/158407/what-is-the-difference-between-symmetric-and-asymmetric-encryption-and-when-would-you-use-each) encryption.

## Answers

### Answer by Hitesh Vohra

- This is the most basic type of encryption, using only one secret key to cypher and decipher data. **Symmetric encryption** is a well-known and well-established technology. It employs a secret key, which can be a number, a word, or a random string of letters. It's a technique for altering the content of a message by blending it with the plain text.
- In comparison to symmetric encryption, asymmetric encryption is also known as public key cryptography. It is a relatively new technology. Asymmetric encryption encrypts plain text with two keys. Secret keys are shared via a vast network like the Internet. It prevents malicious individuals from abusing the keys.
- **Asymmetric encryption** uses a pair of public and private keys to encrypt and decrypt messages when communicating, whereas symmetric encryption uses a single key that must be shared among the people who need to receive the message. Asymmetric encryption is a relatively new [**technology**](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/94446/what-are-the-advantages-of-security-issues-in-mobile-technology) compared to symmetric encryption.
- Asymmetric encryption was created to address the inherent problem of having to share the key in symmetric encryption models by employing a pair of public-private keys to eliminate the requirement to share the key. Asymmetric encryption takes significantly longer than symmetric encryption.

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**Read More: [Which is the better security measure, HTTPS, or SSL?](https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/97144/which-is-the-better-security-measure-https-or-ssl)**


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Original Source: https://answers.mindstick.com/qa/97140/explain-the-difference-between-symmetric-and-asymmetric-encryption

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