Hash
Type or paste text to compute all hash values simultaneously. Note: MD5 and SHA-1 are cryptographically broken — prefer SHA-256 or higher for security.
Common questions
Is hashing the same as encryption?
No. Encryption is reversible — encrypted data can be decrypted with a key. Hashing is one-way — you cannot recover the original input from a hash. Encryption protects data in transit or at rest. Hashing verifies integrity (whether data has been tampered with) and stores passwords in a way that never requires knowing the plaintext.
Why shouldn't MD5 or SHA-1 be used for passwords?
Both are vulnerable to collision attacks and extremely fast to compute, making brute-force attacks practical. For password storage, use bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2 — algorithms designed to be intentionally slow and resistant to GPU-accelerated attacks.
Which algorithm should I use to verify a file?
SHA-256 is the safe, widely accepted choice for file integrity verification and checksums. SHA-512 adds a larger margin of safety at minimal overhead. MD5 and SHA-1 are acceptable for casual verification where security is not a concern.