Hash generator (SHA-256 & more)
Hash any text with SHA-1/256/384/512 locally using your browser's WebCrypto. Useful for checksums and verification.
How to use the hash generator (sha-256 & more)
- Paste your text.
- Pick an algorithm (SHA-256 is the default).
- Copy the resulting hash.
About hashing
A hash is a one-way fingerprint: the same input always produces the same fixed-length output, but you can't reverse it. It's used for file integrity checks and verification. SHA-256 is the sensible default; avoid MD5 and SHA-1 for security purposes since they're broken for collision resistance. Everything is computed in your browser with WebCrypto.
Code & API examples
Use this from the command line or your code.
Shell (sha256)
echo -n "your text" | sha256sumPython
import hashlib
print(hashlib.sha256(b'your text').hexdigest())See all endpoints at /api/tools/.
Frequently asked questions
A one-way fingerprint of data — the same input always produces the same fixed-length output, but you can't reverse it back to the input.
SHA-256 is the sensible default for integrity checks. Avoid MD5 and SHA-1 for security purposes; they're considered broken for collision resistance.
Verifying that a file or message hasn't changed, comparing downloads against a published checksum, and as a building block in signatures and data structures. It's not encryption — there's no key and no way to decrypt.
Hash the downloaded file and compare the result, character for character, against the checksum the publisher lists. A single mismatch means the file is corrupted or tampered with.
No. Encryption is reversible with a key; hashing is one-way by design. You hash to detect changes or store fingerprints, and encrypt to keep data readable only to key holders.
Researchers can deliberately craft two different inputs that share the same MD5 or SHA-1 hash (a collision), so they can no longer prove a file is authentic. Use SHA-256 or SHA-3 instead.
With a strong hash, identical hashes mean the inputs are almost certainly identical. With a broken algorithm, an attacker may have engineered the match, which is why collision resistance matters.
Yes — hashing happens locally with WebCrypto and nothing is uploaded. Note that hashing alone doesn't protect a secret if it's short or guessable, since attackers can hash candidates and compare.
Not plain SHA-256 — it's too fast, so attackers test billions of guesses per second. Use a slow, salted algorithm built for passwords like bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2.
A salt is random data added before hashing so identical inputs produce different outputs, defeating precomputed tables. It's essential for password storage, not for plain file-integrity checksums.
Each algorithm has a fixed output size — SHA-256 is 64 hex characters, SHA-1 is 40, MD5 is 32. If the length is off, you're likely looking at a different algorithm than you think.
Yes — a strong hash exhibits the avalanche effect, so flipping a single bit of input produces a completely different-looking output. That's what makes hashes good at detecting any change.
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