SHA Hash Calculator
Get the MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 and SHA-512 fingerprint of any text and check whether it matches an expected hash. Everything happens in your browser.
What is a SHA hash for?
A hash is a content's digital fingerprint: a fixed-length string (64 hexadecimal characters for SHA-256) that changes completely even if you alter a single letter of the original text. It is used to verify the integrity of a download by comparing it with the checksum published on the website, to confirm a piece of text has not been tampered with, or to spot duplicate content without comparing it byte by byte. The process is one-way: there is no way to recover the original text from its hash.
MD5 and SHA-1: for old checksums, not for security
MD5 is here because it is still the fingerprint many sites publish next to their downloads and the one people search for most, but it is only good for checking that a text or a file was not damaged along the way. The algorithm has been considered broken since 2004, when producing two different inputs with the same hash (a collision) became practical, and that is why the browser's WebCrypto API does not offer it: on this page it is written by hand, and the result matches the one from any other program. SHA-1 is also deprecated for security purposes (the first public collision dates back to 2017). For anything new, pick SHA-256 or stronger. And remember: a plain hash is not the right way to store passwords, that calls for dedicated functions such as bcrypt or Argon2.