Hash Algorithm Reference
| Algorithm | Output Length | Security Status | Common Use |
|---|
| SHA-256 | 256 bits / 64 hex chars | ✅ Secure | Checksums, TLS, Bitcoin |
| SHA-512 | 512 bits / 128 hex chars | ✅ Secure | High-security checksums |
| SHA-384 | 384 bits / 96 hex chars | ✅ Secure | TLS certificates |
| SHA-1 | 160 bits / 40 hex chars | ⚠ Deprecated | Legacy file checksums only |
| MD5 | 128 bits / 32 hex chars | ❌ Broken | Non-security checksums only |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is MD5 not available?
MD5 is cryptographically broken — collision attacks are trivially feasible on modern hardware. The browser's Web Crypto API does not expose MD5 for this reason. For file integrity checks, SHA-256 is the modern standard.
Can I hash binary files?
Yes. Use the File Hash section above. The file is read as an ArrayBuffer and hashed directly — no text encoding issues. This is identical to running sha256sum on the command line.
Is this tool suitable for password hashing?
No. SHA-256 and similar fast hashes are unsuitable for password storage because they can be brute-forced at billions of hashes per second on GPUs. Use bcrypt, Argon2, or scrypt for passwords — these are designed to be slow and are not available in browser JS for good reason.