In this increasingly virtual online world, you have to be careful to protect your data. Learn the 
basics of encoding and encrypting important bits of information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, and even entire messages. Get an overview of what it means to encrypt and decrypt information, as well as some practical examples involving passwords and other data, using PHP’s built-in functionality.
Consider how today’s world differs from the world of just 20 years ago. Long ago, in the 1980s, encryption was spy stuff — something you read about in a techno-thriller by Tom Clancy. If somebody wanted to keep a bit of information private, he encrypted the data with a password, a pass phrase, or another basic method.
Fast-forward to today and encryption is everywhere. Passwords are stored encrypted in databases. Encrypted tunnels through cyberspace are possible via SSL, SSH, and other technologies — not to mention virtual private networks. Everyday people can and do use Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) to armor their sensitive files and e-mail.
As a PHP developer, you should be aware that strong security practices aren’t just for exotic applications — they’re for the project you’re working on now. This awareness runs from the pedestrian (such as not showing plaintext in a password field on a login page) to dizzying heights of cryptographic methods (such as DES, MD5, SHA1, Blowfish).
There’s not enough time or room to discuss every aspect of encryption here, but you’ll learn the essentials that will cover most situations you’ll find yourself in. We begin with an overview of what it means to encrypt and decrypt information, followed by some practical examples involving passwords and other data, using PHP’s built-in functionality. Throughout, encryption will be discussed within the larger context of security. Finally, other PHP extensions and plug-ins will be covered. PHP encryption for the common man
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