Message Digester (MD5, SHA-256, SHA-512)
Compute a message digest (hash) from a string or file using MD5, SHA-1, SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384 or SHA-512. Output in hex or Base64.
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Message Digests Explained
What is a message digest?
A message digest (hash, checksum, fingerprint) is a fixed-size value computed from an input of any length. A good cryptographic hash function has three properties: pre-image resistance, second pre-image resistance, and collision resistance.
Supported algorithms
| Algorithm | Output | Status |
|---|---|---|
| MD5 | 128 bits | Broken — use only as non-adversarial checksum |
| SHA-1 | 160 bits | Deprecated |
| SHA-256 | 256 bits | Secure — the workhorse of TLS, Bitcoin, code signing |
| SHA-512 | 512 bits | Secure — faster on 64-bit CPUs |
| SHA3-256 | 256 bits | Secure — completely different design from SHA-2 |
| CRC-32 | 32 bits | Checksum only, not cryptographic |
Typical uses
- Integrity verification: download sites publish SHA-256 of installers.
- Digital signatures: a document is hashed and the digest is signed.
- Deduplication: content-addressed storage (Git, Docker, IPFS) names blobs by digest.
- Passwords: use slow, salted functions (bcrypt, scrypt, Argon2) — never plain SHA-256.