How to generate a hash
- Paste or type your text into Input, or click Open (or drop a file on the box) to hash a file.
- Pick the algorithm. The hash updates as you type. To check a download, paste the checksum from its website into Expected hash.
- Turn on Hash each line to get one hash per line, for example for a list of emails or IDs.
What a hash is
A hash function turns any amount of data into a short fingerprint of fixed length. The same input always gives the same hash, and changing even one character gives a completely different one. That makes hashes useful for checking that a file or message hasn’t changed, for spotting duplicates, and as keys in caches and databases.
Hash lengths
| Algorithm | Hex characters | Bits | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD5 | 32 | 128 | Broken. Fine for checksums, not for security |
| SHA-1 | 40 | 160 | Broken. Still used by Git and old systems |
| SHA-256 | 64 | 256 | Secure. The common choice today |
| SHA-384 | 96 | 384 | Secure. A shortened SHA-512 |
| SHA-512 | 128 | 512 | Secure. Often faster on 64-bit machines |
| CRC-32 | 8 | 32 | Not a security hash. Detects accidental damage, as in ZIP files |