SRP

SRP is an acronym with multiple meanings in technology. In software engineering, it most often refers to the Single Responsibility Principle, a guideline for organizing code. In cryptography and network security, it refers to the Secure Remote Password protocol, a password-based authentication and key-exchange mechanism. Both meanings emphasize clarity and security, but they apply to very different domains.

Single Responsibility Principle: This principle is one of the SOLID practices for object-oriented design. It states that a software module, such as a class or function, should have only one reason to change—i.e., it should have a single, well-defined responsibility. By keeping components focused and separating concerns, systems become easier to understand, test, and maintain, and they tend to exhibit looser coupling. In practice, responsibilities are divided so that changes in one area (for example, business rules) do not ripple into unrelated areas (such as user interface or data persistence). Violations often lead to brittle code and higher maintenance costs.

Secure Remote Password protocol: SRP is a family of password-authenticated key exchange (PAKE) protocols. It enables mutual authentication and the establishment of a shared session key between a client and a server based on a password, without transmitting the password over the network and without storing it in plaintext on the server. The server stores a verifier derived from the password and a salt rather than the password itself. Through the exchange of ephemeral values and cryptographic proofs, SRP aims to resist eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks while enabling secure password-based logins over insecure networks. Implementations vary and are used in some authentication systems and secure communication setups.