Hash Generator
Generate MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512 hashes instantly — fully in your browser.
How to Use
- 1Enter your text
Type or paste any text — a password, file content, API key, or any string you want to hash.
- 2Pick an algorithm
Choose from MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, or SHA-512. SHA-256 is the recommended default for most use cases.
- 3Get your instant digest
The hash updates in real time as you type. Switch between hex and Base64 output formats, or toggle uppercase for readability.
- 4Copy the result
Click Copy Hash to grab the digest. All computation happens locally in your browser — your input is never sent to any server.
Common Use Cases
File Integrity & Checksums
Verify that a downloaded file has not been tampered with by comparing its SHA-256 hash against the publisher's published checksum.
Password Storage with Salting
Understand how password hashing works. In production, combine a unique salt with a password before hashing to prevent rainbow-table attacks.
Data Deduplication & Cache Keys
Hash request payloads or content blobs to generate stable cache keys and quickly detect duplicate records without full byte comparisons.
Git Commits & Content Addressing
Git uses SHA-1 (and SHA-256 in newer repos) to uniquely address every commit, tree, and blob — making history tamper-evident by design.
Need to encode binary data as text? Base64 Encoder pairs well with hash workflows — use it to safely transmit hex or raw digest bytes over text-only channels.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cryptographic hash?
A cryptographic hash function takes any input and produces a fixed-length digest. The same input always produces the same output, small changes produce completely different digests, and it is computationally infeasible to reverse the process or find two inputs with the same hash.
Is MD5 still secure?
MD5 is no longer considered cryptographically secure for security-critical purposes such as digital signatures or certificate validation because collision attacks are practical. It remains useful for non-security checksums, data deduplication, and cache keys where collision resistance is not required.
Is my data sent to a server?
No. All hashing happens entirely in your browser using the Web Crypto API (SHA-*) and a local MD5 implementation. Your input never leaves your device.
What is the difference between MD5 and SHA-256?
MD5 produces a 128-bit digest and is fast but cryptographically broken. SHA-256 produces a 256-bit digest, is part of the SHA-2 family, and remains secure for general use. For new applications choose SHA-256 or SHA-512. If you need to encode binary data as text, try our Base64 Encoder at https://bzic-tools.com/utilities/base64-encoder — it complements hash workflows when transmitting digests over text channels.
What text encoding is used?
Input text is encoded to bytes using UTF-8 before hashing. This means emoji, CJK characters, and all other Unicode text are handled correctly.
What is the difference between hex and Base64 output?
Hex output represents each byte of the digest as two lowercase hexadecimal characters (e.g. "a3f1…"). Base64 encodes the raw digest bytes using the standard Base64 alphabet, producing a shorter string that is safe for use in URLs, HTTP headers, and JSON payloads.