End-to-end and Link Encryption

Link encryption protects entire communications circuits by creating a secure tunnel between two points. End-to-end encryption, on the other hand, is data-in-transit method to ensure that only the sender and recipient can read the data. These encryption techniques are primarily used to secure while data is in transit or motion.

The main difference between the two is that in link encryption technique, the payload, header, trailer, addresses, and routing data is encrypted. End-to-end, as opposed to link encryption, encrypts only the payload but not the header, trailer, addresses, and routing information. Because of this data traverses faster from point to point. However, it is more susceptible to man-in-the-middle (MITM) sniffers and eavesdroppers.

Moreover, end-to-end encryption occurs at the higher layers of OSI model. Whereas link encryption happens at the lower layers of the OSI reference model. It further establishes secure communications between two interacting parties such as between a client and a server using TLS.