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Definition: RSA and hashing


RSA and hashing are two cryptographic functions that are widely used together. RSA provides the encryption using a public and private key, and hashing creates a binary fingerprint. For example, in a digital signature the fingerprint created by hashing is encrypted with a private key. In the crypto and blockchain world, management of one's assets uses public and private keys, and hashing is used to chain blocks of transactions together.

RSA Is Two-Way; Hashing Is One-Way
RSA operates in both directions. It is used to encrypt as well as decrypt the data. In contrast, hashing is used to create a fingerprint of the data, but the fingerprint cannot be turned back into the original data. See RSA, digital signature, blockchain and cryptographic hash function.