What Is a Hash Generator?
A hash generator applies a cryptographic hash function to your input and returns a fixed-length hexadecimal string called a digest. This tool supports five algorithms: MD5 (128-bit), SHA-1 (160-bit), SHA-256 (256-bit), SHA-384 (384-bit) and SHA-512 (512-bit).
Common Use Cases
- File integrity: Verify that a downloaded file has not been tampered with by comparing its SHA-256 hash to the publisher's value.
- Password storage: Databases store hashed passwords so that even if leaked, the originals are not exposed (use bcrypt or Argon2 in production — raw SHA is insufficient alone).
- API authentication: HMAC signatures (e.g. HMAC-SHA256) verify that API requests come from an authorised source.
- Data deduplication: Hash identical content to a single key in a database or cache.
- Checksums: MD5 remains widely used for non-security checksums and legacy system compatibility.
Algorithm Comparison
| Algorithm | Bits | Hex length | Security |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD5 | 128 | 32 | Broken — checksums only |
| SHA-1 | 160 | 40 | Deprecated |
| SHA-256 | 256 | 64 | Current standard |
| SHA-384 | 384 | 96 | Strong |
| SHA-512 | 512 | 128 | Highest |
Privacy
SHA variants are computed using the browser's built-in crypto.subtle API. MD5 is implemented in pure JavaScript locally. No input ever leaves your device.
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