Encryption is the process of converting plaintext into ciphertext so that only authorized parties with the correct decryption key can read the original data. It is essential for protecting communications from eavesdropping and unauthorized data access.

Encryption methods are broadly classified into symmetric-key encryption (such as AES) and public-key encryption (such as RSA and elliptic curve cryptography). Symmetric encryption is fast and suitable for large data volumes, while public-key encryption solves the key distribution problem. Encryption fundamentals books cover the basics comprehensively.

HTTPS communication uses the TLS protocol, which combines symmetric and public-key encryption. AES-256 is one of the most widely used symmetric ciphers today, with a 256-bit key length.

From a character count perspective, encrypted data is typically longer than the original. When combined with Base64 encoding, the size increases by approximately 33%. Information security basics books provide additional context.