What is the difference between encryption and hashing in APIs?

What is the difference between encryption and hashing in APIs?

Encryption is a reversible process that transforms data into a secure format, while hashing is a one-way function that generates a fixed-size string from input data.

Can you give me examples of when to use each?

Use encryption when you need to protect sensitive data that may need to be retrieved later, like passwords or credit card information. Use hashing for data integrity checks, like verifying passwords.

Are there any specific algorithms I should know about?

Yes, common encryption algorithms include AES and RSA, while popular hashing algorithms are SHA-256 and bcrypt.

How do these methods impact API performance?

Encryption can add overhead due to the complexity of the algorithms, while hashing is generally faster but can still impact performance if not implemented efficiently.