codemaker

A codemaker is a person or entity that creates a coded message, cipher, or secret key intended to be discovered by others. In cryptography, the codemaker is the party who designates the encryption method and the key used to convert plaintext into ciphertext. The codemaker’s aim is to protect information from unauthorized readers, while the codebreaker or cryptanalyst attempts to recover the original message without access to the key or to exploit weaknesses in the scheme.

In classical cryptography, the codemaker selects a secret key, a substitution rule, or a permutation and keeps it confidential to ensure confidentiality and, in some cases, authenticity. Modern cryptographic practice often treats the problem more abstractly: an encoder or key owner generates and manages keys and parameters, while the security of the system rests on mathematical properties of algorithms and key management rather than on the codemaker’s single choice.

In puzzle contexts, such as the game Mastermind, the codemaker sets a hidden code (for example, a sequence of colors), and the codebreaker makes guesses and receives feedback. The codemaker must respond truthfully to preserve the puzzle’s integrity, while the codebreaker uses the feedback to infer the code.

Overall, the term highlights a role in which one party conceals information through a coded construct, with the opposing party seeking to reveal it. See also cipher, cryptography, codebreaker, encrypter.