coding

The number system is actually a system of codes to represent information that is not intrinsic to the code itself. So is the alphabet.

Since encryption also involves coding, some people confuse between codes and encryption. While there are elements common to both, the purpose of coding is to represent information efficiently, enabling arithmetical and logical manipulation, while the purpose of encryption is to hide information from unauthorized people. In that sense, code is information that is potentially available to all who who know the rules of coding and code-manipulation, while encryption is the process of restricting the meaning of the code to a select few. A good example of code would be DNA where the information is coded but not hidden. An example of encryption would be the way user-passwords are stored by most website databases.