Tool
Hash Generator
Generate MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512 hashes from any text input.
Hashing is computed server-side. Input is never stored or logged. MD5 and SHA-1 are cryptographically weak — use SHA-256 or SHA-512 for security purposes.
About
What is a Cryptographic Hash?
A cryptographic hash function takes any input — a word, a file, an entire database — and produces a fixed-length fingerprint called a digest. The function is deterministic (the same input always produces the same output), fast to compute, and one-way: you cannot reverse a hash to recover the original input.
This tool generates hashes using 4 algorithms: MD5 (128-bit), SHA-1 (160-bit), SHA-256 (256-bit), and SHA-512 (512-bit). All computation runs entirely in your browser using the Web Crypto API — no input is sent to any server.
Hashes are used throughout security and software engineering: verifying file integrity, storing password digests, generating message authentication codes, signing commits, and creating unique identifiers for data deduplication.
Algorithms
Hash Algorithm Comparison
MD5 — 128-bit
Fast and widely used for checksums and non-security fingerprinting. Cryptographically broken — collision attacks are trivial. Do not use for security purposes.
SHA-1 — 160-bit
Deprecated for security use since 2017 following practical collision demonstrations. Still seen in legacy systems and Git object identifiers, but should not be used for new security applications.
SHA-256 — 256-bit
Part of the SHA-2 family. The current standard for file integrity verification, TLS certificates, code signing, and blockchain applications. No known practical attacks.
SHA-512 — 512-bit
Also part of SHA-2, producing a longer digest. Preferred for applications requiring a higher security margin. Faster than SHA-256 on 64-bit processors due to larger word size operations.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cryptographic hash?+
A fixed-length fingerprint derived from input data using a one-way mathematical function. The same input always produces the same output. A single character change produces a completely different hash, and the original input cannot be recovered.
What is the difference between MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512?+
MD5 is 128 bits, SHA-1 is 160 bits, SHA-256 is 256 bits, SHA-512 is 512 bits. MD5 and SHA-1 have known collision vulnerabilities and are broken for security use. SHA-256 and SHA-512 are the current standard.
Can I use this to verify a file download?+
This tool hashes text input. To verify a downloaded file, compare the SHA-256 hash published by the software vendor against the hash you compute locally — using sha256sum on Linux/Mac or Get-FileHash on Windows.
Is it safe to hash sensitive text here?+
Yes — all hashing runs entirely in your browser via the Web Crypto API. No input is transmitted to any server. You can verify this in your browser's network tab.
Should I use SHA-256 to store passwords?+
No. SHA-256 is too fast for password hashing — attackers can compute billions per second. Use dedicated password hashing functions designed to be slow and salted: bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2.