Encapsulation vs Encryption: Difference and Comparison

Today, we use technology and technical terms in almost everything we do. Both encapsulation and encryption are really important parts of the technological world.

Encapsulation and encryption deal with the data that we store in servers or devices. There are several technical and general differences between the two terms. 

Key Takeaways

  1. Encapsulation is the process of wrapping data within a container or structure to hide its complexity, while encryption is converting data into an unreadable format to protect its confidentiality.
  2. Encapsulation is used in object-oriented programming for data protection and modularity, while encryption secures sensitive information during storage and transmission.
  3. Both techniques contribute to data security but serve different purposes: encapsulation maintains code integrity and encryption safeguards against unauthorized access.

Encapsulation vs Encryption 

Encapsulation is a method in which data is encapsuled or bundled into a single frame to restrict direct access to some of the components. Encryption is the process of concealing information by transforming and encoding it using an algorithm that makes it unreadable to everyone except the authorized parties.

Encapsulation vs Encryption

Whenever we talk about data and its management, encapsulation plays a big role. This is because encapsulation helps in binding the data scattered at several levels and locations and then maintains and manages the data in one place.

When data gets encapsulated, it becomes very easy to access the data.

Encryption is a more secure process. It is simply the change in the structure or the tone of the data that could be understood by only those who know the criteria of that particular encryption.

Database systems and related data are encrypted to avoid access to the real information by the common public.  

Comparison Table

Parameters of ComparisonEncapsulation Encryption
Definition Encapsulation is the process of binding or wrapping the data in a single unit. Encryption is the process of making the data unreadable to unauthorized access. 
PurposeEncapsulation serves the act of accessing the data seamlessly. Encryption is the basis of securing the data from unwanted systems or people. 
SpaceEncapsulation binds the junks of data in a single unit or packet and requires additional space. Encryption does not take up more space because it simply changes the format of data. 
Programming termsEncapsulation in a way of data binding is a very important feature of object-oriented programming. Encryption of data is not a feature of object-oriented programming. 
Real-world closenessData encapsulation has several real-world examples to be explained.  Encryption of data has no real-world examples and cannot be studied without considering technical terms. 

What is Encapsulation?

Encapsulation is a major feature of object-oriented programming and it is very important in the management and maintenance of data. Several big firms have large amounts of global data and they are stored in their servers and systems at various places.

All these junks of data matter a lot to the company and have vast applications.

In such cases where data management becomes very important, encapsulation helps in binding the data in the form of a packet or a capsule to relate the data as it is in a single frame. In programming terms also, encapsulation can be done by wrapping up the member functions, data variables, and constants of a class into a single unit that may be called a package.

The idea of encapsulation binds and manages the data in a single place and allows access to the data seamlessly.

Encapsulation has its applications of use in networking, database management, programming, and real-world entities. For instance, a company has several firms and managing offices like marketing firms, app development firms, sales firms, query solving firms, etc.

All these firms are encapsulated into a single unit that we call the name of the company. 

What is Encryption?

Encryption is a very important term when we deal with the safety and security of data. Data encryption is the process of hiding the data by covering it with a layer of security.

This layer of security serves as encryption to the data and adds in its security so that the user data does not leak or cannot be accessed by unauthorized people or systems.

The real content of the data gets hidden by some unwanted or fake data which serves as the real data to the unauthorized firms. The original and real data remains intact beneath the encryption process and it is accessed by only those who encrypted it.

In simple words, the criteria of encryption are different for different databases and systems. The main criteria or agenda of encrypting a particular piece of data is shared with only those who have the right to access that data.

Encryption is done in various ways like using ASCII values for the data that is to be encrypted or using a password or PIN to secure the real content. Encryption is done to protect the data that we may send, store or receive from some source just like WhatsApp messages are end-to-end encrypted. 

encryption

Main Differences Between Encapsulation and Encryption 

  1. Encapsulation is the act of closing the data in the form of a capsule, package, or any other big entity whereas encryption is a security feature that protects one’s data. 
  2. Encapsulation of data helps in finding the collected inside data or relevant data whereas encryption just changes the form of the data by introducing other data elements. 
  3. Encapsulation is not a security factor and does not involve the use of passwords, etc whereas encryption uses passwords and pins. 
  4. Encapsulation is simple to be dealt with and can be performed by anyone easily whereas data encryption is a more difficult task.
  5. Encapsulated data can be scattered in junks easily and by anyone, unless any security is used whereas encrypted data asks for security removal and that is a selective matter. 
References
  1. https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/1966913.1966922
  2. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8004872/

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023

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