What is a cryptographic hash?

A hash is a fixed-length string computed from any input using a mathematical function. The same input always produces the same hash, but even one character change produces a completely different hash.

Can I reverse a hash back to the original text?

No — hash functions are one-way by design. You cannot reverse a hash to get the original input (though weak passwords can be cracked via rainbow tables for MD5/SHA-1).

Which hash algorithm should I use?

Use SHA-256 for general purposes and SHA-512 for high security needs. Never use MD5 or SHA-1 for security-critical purposes — they are cryptographically broken.

Hash Generator — MD5, SHA-256, SHA-512

What is a Hash Generator?

A cryptographic hash function takes any input text and produces a fixed-length hexadecimal string called a hash digest. The same input always produces the same output, but even a single character change produces a completely different hash. Hashes are one-way — you cannot reverse them to recover the original input.

This tool computes hashes using your browser's built-in WebCrypto API (or pure-JavaScript implementations as a fallback). Nothing is sent to any server.

Supported Algorithms

MD5

128-bit (32 hex chars). Fast but cryptographically broken. Use only for non-security checksums.

SHA-1

160-bit (40 hex chars). Deprecated for security use. Still used in Git commit hashes.

SHA-256

256-bit (64 hex chars). Current standard for most security purposes. Recommended.

SHA-384

384-bit (96 hex chars). Stronger variant of SHA-2 for high-security applications.

SHA-512

512-bit (128 hex chars). Strongest available. Used in high-security certificates.

How to Use It

Open the tool

Go to Encode / Decode and scroll to the Hash Generator section.

Select an algorithm

Choose MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 or SHA-512. Use SHA-256 if unsure.

Type or paste your text

Enter the text to hash. The hash is computed instantly as you type.

Copy the hash

Click Copy to copy the hexadecimal hash string to your clipboard.

Pro Tips

💡Use SHA-256 for checksums, digital signatures and content addressing. Avoid MD5 and SHA-1 for any security-sensitive purpose.

💡The hash changes completely if even one character is different — this is called the avalanche effect. Use it to detect any modification to data.

💡For password hashing, use the bcrypt Tester instead — SHA algorithms are too fast for safe password storage.

💡Hashes are case-insensitive. abc123 and ABC123 are the same hash value — just different representations of the same hex digits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reverse a hash?

No — hash functions are one-way by design. You cannot mathematically reverse a hash to get the original input. Weak passwords can sometimes be cracked via precomputed rainbow tables, but this is a limitation of the password, not the algorithm.

What's the difference between MD5 and SHA-256?

MD5 produces 128 bits (32 hex chars) and is cryptographically broken — collisions have been found. SHA-256 produces 256 bits (64 hex chars) and is currently considered secure.

Should I use this for password hashing?

No. SHA algorithms are too fast for password hashing — an attacker can compute billions per second. Use bcrypt, Argon2 or scrypt which are designed to be intentionally slow and include salting.

Is the hash computed locally?

Yes — all hashing is done in your browser using the WebCrypto API. Nothing is sent to any server.

Generate a hash now

Open the Hash Generator and compute SHA-256 or other hashes for any text instantly.

Open Hash Generator →