What is a cryptographic hash?

A hash function takes any input and produces a fixed-length output (the hash). The same input always produces the same hash, but even a tiny change in input produces a completely different hash. Hashes are one-way — you cannot reverse a hash to get the original input.

Which hash should I use — SHA-1, SHA-256, or SHA-512?

SHA-256 is the standard recommendation for most uses. SHA-1 is deprecated and should be avoided for security-sensitive applications (it's vulnerable to collision attacks). SHA-512 provides extra security with a longer output, at a slight performance cost.

What is SHA-256 used for?

SHA-256 is used everywhere: Bitcoin uses it for proof-of-work mining, TLS/HTTPS certificates use it for signing, Git uses it for commit hashing, and password storage systems use SHA-256-based algorithms (like bcrypt and Argon2) for secure password hashing.

Is my text sent to a server?

No. All hashing is performed locally in your browser using the built-in Web Crypto API (crypto.subtle.digest). Nothing is transmitted or logged. The tool works offline too.

Can I hash a file instead of text?

This tool hashes text input. For file hashing (to verify download integrity, for example), you would need a tool that accepts file uploads. This tool is optimised for text and string inputs.

Hash Generator

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Generate SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512 hashes from any text.

Input Text

Enter text above to generate hash values

SHA-1 · SHA-256 · SHA-512 — all computed locally

How to use Hash Generator

1Type or paste any text into the input field.
2SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512 hash values are computed instantly as you type.
3Toggle "Uppercase output" to switch between hex cases.
4Click Copy next to any hash to copy it to your clipboard.

Frequently Asked Questions

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SHA-2 — Wikipedia

How SHA-256 and SHA-512 work and their security properties

Cryptographic Hash Function — Wikipedia

What cryptographic hashes are and how they are used

Web Crypto API — MDN

The browser API used by this tool to compute hashes

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