Hash Generator
Produce MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 and SHA-512 digests from any text — computed on your device, never uploaded.
What a hash is
A cryptographic hash function maps input of any length to a fixed-size output called a digest. The three properties that make digests useful are:
- Deterministic — identical input always yields identical output
- Irreversible — the digest cannot be feasibly turned back into the original input
- Collision resistant — finding two different inputs with the same digest is infeasible
Because of these properties, hashes are used to verify file integrity, deduplicate data, index content, and — with appropriate algorithms and salting — store passwords.
Choosing an algorithm
| Algorithm | Output | Status | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD5 | 128 bit | Broken | Legacy checksums only, never security |
| SHA-1 | 160 bit | Broken | Legacy systems, Git object IDs |
| SHA-256 | 256 bit | Secure | Integrity checks, certificates, blockchain |
| SHA-512 | 512 bit | Secure | High-security contexts, some password KDFs |
MD5 and SHA-1 are cryptographically broken. Chosen-prefix collisions have been publicly demonstrated for both. Never use either for passwords, digital signatures, or any security-sensitive purpose. Use SHA-256 or stronger for anything that matters, and use a dedicated password hashing function such as bcrypt, scrypt or Argon2 — not a raw hash — for passwords.
Where you have probably met these
- SHA-256 checksums published alongside Linux ISOs and software downloads
- MD5 values in legacy databases and old ETag headers
- SHA-1 object identifiers inside Git repositories
- SHA-256 in TLS certificates and cryptocurrency transaction hashing
Privacy and speed. SHA digests come from your browser's native
SubtleCrypto engine, and MD5 is computed by a bundled local implementation. No text leaves
your device, which means there is no network latency and no file size limit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hash files instead of text?
This page handles text input. Because there is no upload step, files would have to be read into the page locally, which is not implemented here — keep an eye on the tool list for a dedicated file hashing utility.
Why is my hash different from another site's?
Almost always one of two things: trailing whitespace or a hidden newline added when you copied the text, or the other site hashing a different encoding such as UTF-16. Even one invisible character changes the entire digest.
Are uppercase and lowercase hash strings equivalent?
Yes. Hexadecimal is case-insensitive; both forms represent the same bytes. Use the Uppercase toggle here for convenience only.
Can a hash be reversed to recover my text?
Not by computation. Short, common inputs such as dictionary words can sometimes be recovered through rainbow tables or brute force, which is exactly why security-sensitive use requires a salted, slow password hashing function rather than a plain digest.
Is hashing the same as encryption?
No. Encryption is reversible with a key; hashing is deliberately one-way. If you ever need to get the original back, you need encryption, not a hash.