What is a hash?
A cryptographic hash function turns any input into a fixed-length fingerprint. The same input always produces the same hash, but changing even one character produces a completely different result, and you cannot work backwards from the hash to the input. Hashes are used to verify downloads (checksums), detect duplicate content, build cache keys and ETags, sign API requests (HMAC) and create content-addressed storage.
Which algorithm should I use?
| Algorithm | Length | Use today |
|---|---|---|
| MD5 | 128-bit (32 hex) | Non-security checksums and legacy systems only — collisions are practical. |
| SHA-1 | 160-bit (40 hex) | Legacy only (e.g. older Git object IDs). Broken for collision resistance. |
| SHA-256 | 256-bit (64 hex) | The standard choice for integrity checks, signatures and blockchains. |
| SHA-384 | 384-bit (96 hex) | Used in TLS and Subresource Integrity. |
| SHA-512 | 512-bit (128 hex) | Strong general-purpose hash, fast on 64-bit CPUs. |
Do not use plain hashes to store passwords. Use a slow, salted password hash such as Argon2, bcrypt or scrypt instead.
Correct results for every language
Text must be converted to bytes before hashing, and the result depends on that conversion. This tool always uses UTF-8 — the same as Linux sha256sum, Python hashlib, Node.js crypto and PHP hash() — so hashes of Hindi, Chinese or emoji text match what your code produces. SHA hashes are computed with the browser’s Web Crypto API.
Example
Input
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dogMD5 / SHA-256
MD5: 9e107d9d372bb6826bd81d3542a419d6
SHA-256: d7a8fbb307d7809469ca9abcb0082e4f
8d5651e46d3cdb762d02d0bf37c9e592Frequently asked questions
Why is my hash different from another tool?
Usually because of invisible differences: a trailing newline, Windows line endings (\r\n) or a different text encoding. This tool hashes exactly the characters in the box as UTF-8.
Can hashes be decrypted?
No. Hashing is one-way. “MD5 decrypters” just look up common inputs in huge tables, which is why weak hashes are unsafe for passwords.
Does it support HMAC or file hashing?
This page hashes text. You can upload a text file; binary files are not supported.
Is my text uploaded?
No. Hashes are computed in your browser.