Hash Generator
Instantly hash your text with MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 and SHA-512. All computation happens entirely in your browser; nothing is uploaded or stored anywhere.
What Are MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 and SHA-512?
A hash function turns text of any length into a fixed-length, one-way string. MD5 produces a 128 bit output, SHA-1 160 bit, SHA-256 256 bit and SHA-512 512 bit, all shown as hexadecimal. Changing a single character in the input changes the entire output, which is why hashes are used for file integrity checks, checksum verification, and digital signatures. MD5 and SHA-1 are now considered cryptographically broken and should not be used for security purposes; SHA-256 and SHA-512 are the current standard instead.
Example Hash Values
| Input | MD5 | SHA-256 |
|---|---|---|
| (empty) | d41d8cd9...427e | e3b0c442...b855 |
| abc | 900150983cd24fb0d6963f7d28e17f72 | ba7816bf...15ad |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a hash function?
A hash function is a mathematical operation that turns input data of any length into a fixed-length, one-way output. The same input always produces the same hash, but reversing a hash back into the original data is not practically possible.
Why shouldn't MD5 be used for storing passwords?
MD5 is extremely fast to compute and has known collision weaknesses, which makes it vulnerable to brute-force and rainbow-table attacks. Passwords should be stored with slow, salted algorithms such as bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2 instead.
When is SHA-256 appropriate?
SHA-256 is well suited for file integrity checks, digital signatures, and blockchain applications that need cryptographic security. It is not sufficient on its own for password storage, where purpose-built slow algorithms should be used instead.