What is a cryptographic hash function?

A cryptographic hash function takes any input and produces a fixed-size output (the hash or digest). The same input always produces the same output, but small changes produce completely different hashes. Hashes are one-way — you cannot reverse them to recover the original input.

What is SHA-256 used for?

SHA-256 is the most widely used hash function, employed in TLS/HTTPS certificates, code signing, file integrity verification, Bitcoin, and HMAC. It produces a 256-bit (64 hex character) digest.

Is SHA-1 still safe to use?

SHA-1 is considered cryptographically broken for security purposes — collision attacks have been demonstrated. Do not use SHA-1 for digital signatures, certificates, or security-critical applications. It is still acceptable for non-security checksums.

Can I hash a file with this tool?

This tool hashes text input only. To hash a file, paste the file contents as text, or use command-line tools like sha256sum (Linux/Mac) or CertUtil (Windows).

What is Argon2 and when should I use it?

Argon2 is the winner of the 2015 Password Hashing Competition. Argon2id is the recommended variant for password hashing because it resists both side-channel and GPU attacks. Use Argon2id for storing passwords, not SHA-256.

What is SHA-3 and how does it differ from SHA-2?

SHA-3 (Keccak) uses a completely different sponge construction than SHA-2. Both are considered secure, but SHA-3 provides an independent algorithm family. SHA3-256 produces a 256-bit digest like SHA-256.

Free Tool

Hash Generator — MD5, SHA-2, SHA-3 & Argon2

Generate MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, SHA3-256, SHA3-512, and Argon2 hashes from any text. All processing runs in your browser — no data leaves your device.

Hash Generator

Input text / password

UPPERCASE output

About these hash functions

SHA-256 / SHA-512 — SHA-2 family. Recommended for checksums, data integrity, and HMAC.
SHA3-256 / SHA3-512 — SHA-3 (Keccak). Different construction from SHA-2; resistant to length-extension attacks.
Argon2id — Winner of the Password Hashing Competition. Memory-hard KDF — use for passwords, not data checksums.
MD5 / SHA-1 — Legacy. Cryptographically broken — do not use for security purposes.

All hashing runs in your browser using the Web Crypto API — no data leaves your device.

What are cryptographic hashes?

A cryptographic hash function takes arbitrary input and produces a fixed-length digest. The same input always produces the same hash, but you cannot reverse the hash to get the input. Hashes are used for password storage, data integrity verification, and digital signatures.

SHA-256 vs SHA-512

SHA-256 produces a 256-bit (64 hex char) digest and is the most widely used. SHA-512 produces a 512-bit (128 hex char) digest — longer and slightly more collision-resistant. SHA-1 (160-bit) is considered cryptographically broken and should not be used for security.

How to use

Type or paste text into the input.
Click Generate Hashes.
Copy any of the SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, or SHA-1 hashes.

All hashing uses the browser's Web Crypto API — your text never leaves your device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SHA-1 safe to use?: SHA-1 is considered cryptographically broken and should not be used for security-critical applications like certificate signing or password hashing. It is only included here for compatibility with legacy systems.
Can I hash a file instead of text?: This tool hashes text input. For file hashing, use a command-line tool like sha256sum or openssl dgst.

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