public key cryptography & rsa algorithm
Plaintext & Ciphertext:
The Original message, before being transfored, is called Plaintext. After the message is transformed, it is called Ciphertext. An encryption algorithm transforms the plaintext into ciphertext; a decryption algorithm transforms the ciphertext back into plaintext. The Sender uses an Encryption Algorithm, and the receiver uses a Decryption Algorithm.
Cipher:
The Encryption and Decryption algorithms are Called Ciphers. The term cipher is used to refer to different categories of algorithms in cryptography. This is not to say that every sender-receiver pir needs their very own unique cipher for a secure communication. On the contrary, one cipher can serve millions of communicating pairs.
Key:
A Key is a number (or set of numbers) that the cipher, as an algorithm, operates on. To encrypt a message, we need an encryption algorithm, an encryption key, and the plaintext. These create the ciphertext. To decrypt a message, we need a decryption algorithm, a decryption key, and the ciphertext. These reveal the original plaintext.
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