Hashing vs Encryption for Developers
Hashing and encryption solve different problems. Hashing is one-way and is used for integrity checks, deduplication, and password verification workflows. Encryption is two-way with a key and is used when data must be hidden and later restored.
Confusion between these concepts causes real security defects. If confidential data is hashed when it should be encrypted, recovery becomes impossible. If sensitive data is only Base64-encoded or weakly encrypted, confidentiality is not actually protected.
For passwords, avoid plain hash functions without adaptive cost. Use modern password hashing algorithms with salts and work factors so brute-force attempts become expensive. For signed requests, HMAC provides integrity and authenticity when both parties share a secret key.
Document your threat model before choosing primitives: who can read, who can tamper, and what must be recoverable. Security controls are strongest when their purpose is explicit and testable.
Open related tool: Hash Generator
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