Hash Generator
Generate SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512 hashes.
About Hash Generator
Generate cryptographic hashes such as MD5, SHA-1, and SHA-256 from any text or string. A hash is a fixed-length fingerprint of your input, and the same input always produces the same hash, which makes hashing useful for verifying file integrity, storing password digests, generating checksums, and comparing data without revealing it. Paste your text and this tool instantly computes the digest for each algorithm so you can copy whichever you need. All hashing is done locally using your browser's built-in crypto functions, so the values you enter are never transmitted, making it safe for checking sensitive strings.
How to use this tool
- 1Paste the text you want to hash.
- 2Choose the algorithm (SHA-1, SHA-256, or SHA-512).
- 3Copy the resulting hash.
Hash algorithms compared
Not all hash functions are interchangeable. Some are broken for security purposes but still fine for checksums; others are the current standard for integrity verification. Here's how the common ones stack up.
| Algorithm | Output size | Security status | Typical use today |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD5 | 128-bit | Broken (collisions since 2004) | Non-security checksums, legacy dedupe |
| SHA-1 | 160-bit | Broken (collisions since 2017) | Legacy Git object IDs, avoid for new work |
| SHA-256 | 256-bit | Secure | File integrity, signatures, certificates |
| SHA-384 | 384-bit | Secure | Higher-security TLS suites |
| SHA-512 | 512-bit | Secure | Integrity on 64-bit systems (often faster than SHA-256) |
Important: none of these are suitable for storing passwords directly - they're too fast, which helps attackers. Password storage should use a deliberately slow algorithm like bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2. For verifying that a downloaded file matches its published checksum, SHA-256 is the standard choice.
Frequently asked questions
Which algorithms are supported?
SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512, computed with the browser's native Web Crypto API.
Is MD5 available?
No. The Web Crypto API doesn't support MD5 because it's cryptographically broken. Use SHA-256 or stronger instead.
Related guide
6 min readHashing Explained: MD5 vs SHA-256, and Why It Matters
What cryptographic hashing actually does, why MD5 is broken, when SHA-256 is the right choice, and why none of them should store your passwords.