Hash Generator
Generate MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-512 hashes
About This Tool
What is a Hash Function?
A cryptographic hash function is a mathematical algorithm that takes an input (message) and produces a fixed-size string of bytes. The output, called a hash or digest, is deterministic — the same input always produces the same output. Even a tiny change to the input produces a dramatically different hash. Learn more on Wikipedia.
Supported Algorithms
MD5 produces a 128-bit (32-character hex) digest. While once widely used, it is now considered cryptographically broken and should not be used for security purposes. It is still useful for non-security checksums and file identification.
SHA-1 produces a 160-bit (40-character hex) digest. It has been deprecated for cryptographic use since 2017 due to demonstrated collision attacks.
SHA-256 and SHA-512 are part of the SHA-2 family and produce 256-bit and 512-bit digests respectively. They are currently considered secure and are used in TLS certificates, blockchain technology, digital signatures, and password hashing.
Common Use Cases
Hashes are used to verify file integrity, store passwords securely (with additional salting), create digital signatures, detect duplicate data, and build hash-based data structures like hash tables.