Difference between Private key and Public key

Cryptography as a field emphasizes the need to guarantee secure communication and data privacy. There are mainly two approaches available to perform this operation: – Private Key Cryptography (RIC or Symmetric Key Cryptography) and Public Key Cryptography (PKE or Asymmetric Key Cryptography). Although they are used to protect information, they work differently and have certain benefits and drawbacks. In this article, the key focus is on understanding the key aspects of a private and public key as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using them.

Cryptography is the science of secret writing to keep the data secret. Cryptography is classified into symmetric cryptography, asymmetric cryptography, and hashing. 

What is a Private Key?

Private key Encryption, also termed as symmetric Key Encryption requires the key that is used to lock and the key used to unlock the message. This key must be kept concealed between the two communicating entities to have reasonable security.

Advantages of Private Key Encryption

• Speed: These algorithms are faster as compared to asymmetric encryption algorithms and hence used for encrypting large volumes of data.
• Less Computational Power: In another way, it is advantageous since it requires fewer calculations which makes it suitable for real-time use.

Limitations of Private Key Encryption

• Key Distribution Problem: The first and perhaps the major limitation is how to securely transfer the said key among the parties. The problem with this event is that the key is useless if it is intercepted, meaning that the security is lost.
• Scalability Issues: That is why as the number of the users raises key management becomes more complicated and thus it is not very scalable for large systems.

What is Public Key?

Public Key Encryption, or Asymmetric Encryption, involves a pair of keys: There is the public key that is relatively known and the private key which is kept secret. While the public key where everyone can get it from the internet is for encoding or encryption, the private key is employed for decoding, decryption.

Advantages of Public Key Encryption

• Enhanced Security: The application of two keys means that there is no problem of secure key distribution since with the public key anyone can encrypt the message while the private key can only be known by the recipient.
• Digital Signatures: The use of public key cryptography is employed to back up the concept of digital signatures hence ensuring true and complete message.

Disadvantages of Public Key Encryption

• Slower Performance: Asymmetric algorithms generally are slower and considerably more resource-hungry as compared to symmetric algorithms.
• Complexity: Another disadvantage that has been agreed upon is that the management and application of public key infrastructure can be complicated.

Which Encryption Key Type Is More Secure?

It should therefore be appreciated that there solved security of encryption methods is dependent on the application is use in. As mentioned earlier, public Key encryption is more appropriate for key distribution as well as authentications since it will be using two keys. However, the use of the private key for encryption of data proves to be secure due to the increased speed and efficiency.

Difference Between Private Key and Public Key

Conclusion

In the context of information security, there are private as well as public key cryptographic systems that are at work. Private key encryption is effective and fast and therefore the only disadvantage is that key distribution and scalability become issues. A big strength for public key encryption is the security it provides and how it is simpler for the key management. Knowledge of these differences aids in the selection process of the suitability of particular encryption type given the objectives encountered and to be met.