Difference between encryption and hashing

Question

In our project there are several places where we could\'ve gotten away with hashing. For example, we store an encrypted reference between a license and the licensed object in t

Answer 1

From what I understand you want to achieve integrity of your data (i.e. you want to achieve that nobody can change you're data unnoticed). This can be achieved by used a Digital Signature (e.g. RSA, DSA) or a MAC (Message Authentication Code). A mac is the symmetric equivalent of a digital signature, which is usually an asymmetric scheme.

So in your case, a MAC (like for example HMAC) should be a good choice!