Hash Generator
Generate cryptographic hashes from text.
Hashing Use Cases
Hash functions help with integrity checks, quick fingerprints, and cache keys. They are one-way transforms, not reversible storage.
- Compare hash output to detect accidental file or text changes.
- Pick a modern algorithm such as SHA-256 for general integrity checks.
- Keep normalization consistent before hashing to avoid false mismatches.
Algorithm Reference
MD5 — 128-bit · 32 hex chars
Designed by Ron Rivest in 1991. MD5 produces a 128-bit digest and is very fast, but it is cryptographically broken: practical collision attacks have been known since 2004. Suitable for non-adversarial checksums and file-integrity verification, but must not be used for passwords, digital signatures, or any security-critical purpose.
SHA-1 — 160-bit · 40 hex chars
Developed by the NSA and published by NIST in 1995. SHA-1 was the successor to MD5 and dominated PKI for a decade, but it was formally deprecated after SHAttered (2017) demonstrated practical chosen-prefix collisions. It remains in use in Git object identifiers and some legacy protocols, but should not be used for new security-sensitive work.
SHA-256 — 256-bit · 64 hex chars
Part of the SHA-2 family, designed by the NSA and published by NIST in 2001. SHA-256 is the most widely deployed secure hash algorithm today: it is used in TLS certificates, code-signing, Bitcoin proof-of-work, and countless protocols. No practical attack is known, and it is the recommended default for most applications.
SHA-384 — 384-bit · 96 hex chars
A truncated variant of SHA-512 initialised with different constants, producing a 384-bit digest. SHA-384 offers a higher security margin than SHA-256 and is recommended by NIST for applications requiring at least 192 bits of security, such as top-secret document signing. It runs at roughly the same speed as SHA-512 on 64-bit hardware.
SHA-512 — 512-bit · 128 hex chars
The full-width member of the SHA-2 family, producing a 512-bit digest. SHA-512 uses 64-bit word operations and can outperform SHA-256 on 64-bit CPUs for large inputs. It provides the highest security margin of the algorithms listed here and is used in high-assurance applications such as certificate authority root keys and firmware signing.