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Difference Between Data Encryption and Data Compression

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Data compression and data encryption are two important methods of protecting and managing data. While both of these processes can help protect your data, they work in different ways. In this article, we’ll discuss the key differences between data encryption and data compression, and explain how each can help you protect your data.

Data Encryption vs. Data Compression

 

What is Data Encryption?

Data encryption is a process that scrambles data in such a way that it can only be read by someone who has been given the key to decrypt it. It’s used to protect data from unauthorized access and is commonly used when sending information over a network or storing it on a computer. It’s also used to protect data stored in cloud services. Data encryption works by using a mathematical algorithm to convert the data into a code that can only be unlocked with a specific key. This key is usually a password, but it can also be a physical device, such as a USB device.

What is Data Compression?

Data compression is a process that reduces the size of files, making them easier to store and transfer. It works by removing redundant information from the file, or by using algorithms to reduce the number of bytes needed to store the data. Data compression is used to save space on hard drives, reduce download times, and make files easier to email. It can also be used to reduce the amount of data sent over the internet, making it faster and more efficient.

Data Encryption Vs Data Compression 

Factor Data Encryption Data Compression 

Security

Data encryption provides a high level of security as it ensures that only authorized users can access the data and it is kept secure from unauthorized access or manipulation.

 Data compression does not provide a high level of security as it does not provide any encryption of the data.

Algorithm

Data Encryption uses an encryption algorithm to transform the data into a secure form.

Data Compression uses a compression algorithm to reduce the size of the data.

Key

Data Encryption uses an encryption key to generate a secure form of the data.

Data Compression is relatively fast as it does not require a lot of computing power to compress the data.

Speed

Data Encryption is relatively slow as it requires a lot of computing power to encrypt the data.

Data Compression does not use any key to compress the data.

Cost

Data Encryption is relatively expensive as it requires specialized hardware and software to encrypt the data.

Data Compression is relatively inexpensive as it does not require any specialized hardware or software to compress the data.

Reversibility

Data Encryption is reversible as the data can be decrypted using the same encryption key.

Data Compression is not reversible as the data cannot be decompressed without losing some of the original data.

Accessibility

Data Encryption ensures that only authorized users can access the data.

Data Compression does not ensure that only authorized users can access the data.

Format

Data Encryption does not alter the format of the data.

Data Compression alters the format of the data in order to reduce its size.

Integrity

Data Encryption ensures the integrity of the data as it is kept secure from unauthorized access or manipulation.

Data Compression does not ensure the integrity of the data as it is not encrypted.

Encoding

Data Encryption uses an encrypted code to transform the data into a secure form.

Data Compression uses an encoded code to reduce the size of the data.

Size of data Data encryption does not reduce the size of data; in fact, it may slightly increase the size of the data.  Data compression reduces the size of data by removing redundancies and compressing the data using compression algorithms.

Data encryption and data compression are two different concepts used in the field of computer science.

  1. Data encryption involves converting plaintext into ciphertext using an encryption algorithm and a secret key to protect the confidentiality of the data. The encrypted data can only be decrypted by authorized users who have the secret key. Encryption does not reduce the size of the data; in fact, it may slightly increase the size of the data due to the addition of padding, initialization vectors, and other overhead.
  2. Data compression, on the other hand, involves reducing the size of data by removing redundancies and compressing the data using compression algorithms. Compressed data can be decompressed back to its original form using decompression algorithms. Compression is used to reduce storage space, minimize data transfer time, and optimize performance.

Last Updated : 07 May, 2023
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