SHA Hash Generator

How to use Hash Generator

1. Paste any text into the input area.
2. Pick a hash algorithm: SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, or SHA-512.
3. The hex-encoded digest appears instantly — identical inputs always produce identical hashes.
4. Copy the hash to compare against a known value or store as a fingerprint.

Common use cases

• Download integrity checks. Open-source projects publish SHA-256 hashes of release files. Hash your local download here and compare — matching hashes prove nothing was tampered with in transit.
• Git commit fingerprints. Git uses SHA-1 (transitioning to SHA-256) for commit IDs. Understand how content-addressable storage works by hashing text yourself.
• Duplicate detection. Hash content to detect duplicate strings or files without storing the full content — commonly used in databases and CDNs.
• Data fingerprinting. Store hashes of user submissions to detect exact re-submissions without keeping the original text.

Tips

• Never use hashes for passwords without a salt and slow algorithm (bcrypt, argon2). Plain SHA-256 of a password is brute-forceable in seconds.
• SHA-256 is the current default recommendation. SHA-1 is considered weak for security — use only for compatibility (Git).
• Hash output length is fixed regardless of input: SHA-256 always produces 64 hex characters; SHA-512 produces 128.
• Whitespace and newlines change the hash. 'hello' and 'hello ' produce completely different digests.

Troubleshooting

My hash doesn't match the published one.

Text encoding differences (Windows CRLF vs Unix LF line endings, or BOM markers) change the hash. Also verify the source hasn't been updated since the hash was published.

Where's MD5?

Browsers deliberately exclude MD5 from Web Crypto for security. If you need MD5 for legacy compatibility, use a dedicated tool — but don't use it for anything security-related.