Generate MD5, SHA-1, and SHA-256 hashes from any text. Instant, client-side hashing. Free online security tool. This tool runs entirely in your browser — no data is sent to any server. It's fast, free, and works on any device.
A cryptographic hash function takes any input (text, files, data) and produces a fixed-length string called a hash or digest. The same input always produces the same hash, but even a tiny change in the input creates a completely different hash — this is called the avalanche effect. Hash functions are one-way: you can compute a hash from input, but you can't reverse-engineer the original input from its hash. Common uses include verifying file integrity (ensuring a download wasn't corrupted), storing passwords securely (storing the hash, not the plain text), generating checksums, digital signatures, and creating unique identifiers for data. SHA-256 is the current gold standard for most applications.
MD5 and SHA-1 are older algorithms that are now considered cryptographically broken — avoid them for security purposes. SHA-256 (part of SHA-2) is the current standard, used in SSL/TLS, Bitcoin, and most modern security applications.
No — hash functions are one-way by design. However, weak passwords can be cracked via rainbow tables (precomputed hashes of common passwords). This is why salting hashes is important for password storage.
Not directly — you should use dedicated password hashing algorithms like bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2, which include salting and are intentionally slow to resist brute-force attacks. Plain SHA-256 is too fast for password hashing.
A collision occurs when two different inputs produce the same hash. Collisions have been demonstrated for MD5 and SHA-1, making them unsuitable for security. SHA-256 and SHA-512 have no known practical collisions.
Download the file, then compute its SHA-256 hash using this tool (paste the file content) and compare it with the hash published by the software provider. If they match, the file is authentic and unmodified.