Hash Generator
Generate SHA-256, SHA-1, and SHA-512 hashes from any text input.
Cryptographic hash functions explained
A cryptographic hash function takes input of any length and produces a fixed-length output called a digest or hash. The key properties are: deterministic (same input always yields same output), fast to compute, and practically impossible to reverse — you cannot recover the input from the hash alone.
SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256-bit) produces a 64-character hex digest and is considered secure for most applications including SSL certificates, Bitcoin mining, and file integrity verification. SHA-1 (40 characters) is now considered weak for security-critical uses. SHA-512 (128 characters) provides greater security but is slower.
Important: hashing is not encryption. Encrypted data can be decrypted with a key; hashed data cannot be reversed. For password storage, always use a dedicated password hashing function like bcrypt, Argon2, or scrypt — not raw SHA-256 — because these add computational cost and salting.