Encryption

The main difference between symmetric-key encryption and asymmetric-key encryption is that symmetric-key encryption uses one key to encrypt and decrypt the secret message as opposed to an asymmetric-key using two keys - one for encrypting and the other for decrypting. These can also be referred to as the public and private key respectively.

In asymmetric-key encryption, the public key is distributed freely where as the private key is the data that is kept secret since it is used to decrypt the secret message. This key is usually almost impossible to crack due to its large range of possibilities. Even programming a computer to go through all of them would take a long time. The downside to this approach is that it is computationally more expensive than symmetric-key encryption. However, this method is generally more secure.

Symmetric-key encryption, on the other hand is much faster. But since there is only one key for encrypting and decrypting, the users are then forced to find a secure way to exchange keys. In contrast, asymmetric-key encryption can permit users to expose their public key with no worries.