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Add qualifier regarding crypto #187

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Add qualifier regarding crypto #187

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Add qualifier regarding crypto
martinthomson Dec 21, 2018
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s/most/many
martinthomson Dec 21, 2018
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6 changes: 6 additions & 0 deletions README.md
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Expand Up @@ -246,6 +246,12 @@ view[0];

## Gotchas & Exceptions

### This is not for cryptography

The operations supported on `BigInt`s are not constant time. `BigInt` is therefore [unsuitable for use in cryptography](https://www.chosenplaintext.ca/articles/beginners-guide-constant-time-cryptography.html).

Many platforms provide native support for cryptography, such as [webcrypto](https://w3c.github.io/webcrypto/Overview.html) or [node crypto](https://nodejs.org/dist/latest/docs/api/crypto.html).

### Interoperation with `Number` and `String`

The biggest surprise may be that `BigInt`s cannot be operated on interchangeably with `Number`s. Instead a `TypeError` will be thrown. ([Read the design philosophy for more about why this decision was made.](#design-goals-or-why-is-this-like-this))
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