About Hash Generator

Generate MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512 hashes from text. Part of the DevTools Surf developer suite. Browse more tools in the Encoding collection.

Use Cases

• Verify file-download integrity against a published checksum
• Generate non-sensitive cache keys from input data
• Compare hashes when investigating duplicate content
• Fingerprint strings for consistent sharding or bucketing

Tips

• Toggle which algorithms to compute
• Paste a hash in the verify box to check if it matches
• Upload a file to hash its contents

Fun Facts

• SHA-256 produces a 256-bit hash. There are more possible SHA-256 hashes (2^256) than atoms in the observable universe (~10^80).
• MD5 was broken for collision resistance in 2004 by Chinese researcher Xiaoyun Wang, who found collisions in under an hour on a standard PC.
• Git uses SHA-1 for commit hashes. After the SHAttered attack in 2017, Git began migrating to SHA-256 — a transition still underway.

FAQ

Which algorithms?

MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, and the newer SHA3 family. Plus RIPEMD-160 for Bitcoin-related use.

When should I use each?

SHA-256 for general integrity. SHA-512 for high-security. MD5 and SHA-1 only for non-cryptographic use (checksums, cache keys). For passwords use bcrypt/argon2.

Why is MD5 still listed?

Backwards compatibility — some file verification (legacy CD images, older security tools) still uses it. For anything security-relevant, MD5 is broken.

Can I hash files?

Yes — upload a file to hash its contents. Useful for verifying downloaded software matches the published checksum.