SHA-256 vs SHA-512 — which should I use?

Both are currently considered secure. SHA-512 uses 64-bit arithmetic and is actually faster than SHA-256 on most 64-bit desktop and server CPUs, while SHA-256 produces a shorter digest and is more common in web contexts (TLS certificates, package checksums). Either is a reasonable default; pick SHA-256 if you need to match an existing system, SHA-512 if raw speed on 64-bit hardware matters more.

What is HMAC and when do I need it?

A plain hash proves a file was not accidentally corrupted, but anyone can recompute it — it proves nothing about who produced it. HMAC (keyed hashing) mixes in a secret key, so the digest also proves the sender knew that key. Use HMAC when you need to verify authenticity, not just integrity, e.g. signing a webhook payload or an API request.

Why doesn't my hash match the one from my terminal?

The most common cause is a trailing newline: `echo "text" | sha256sum` appends a newline before hashing, while `echo -n "text" | sha256sum` and this tool's textarea do not, unless you turn on "Append \n like echo". A close second is text encoding — this tool hashes the UTF-8 bytes of what you type, and browsers always normalise textarea line endings to `\n`, so a file with Windows CRLF line endings on disk will hash differently from the same text pasted here.

Can a hash be reversed or decrypted?

No. Hashing is one-way by design — there is no key to invert and no decryption operation. The only way to find text that produces a given hash is to guess candidates and hash each one (a dictionary or brute-force attack), which is why short or common inputs like passwords should always be salted before hashing.

Tools

Hash Generator – MD5, SHA-256, SHA-512, SHA3 & CRC32

Compute MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, SHA3 and CRC32 hashes for text and files, with HMAC and checksum verification.

Hash text or a file with seven algorithms at once, verify against an expected checksum, and turn on HMAC for a keyed digest. Files are streamed through a background worker in 4 MB chunks, so nothing — not your text, key or file — ever leaves your browser.

Input format

Append \n like echo — matches piping text into a shell command instead of echo -n.

Algorithms

Output format

HMAC (keyed hash)

Digests

MD5Not for security

—

SHA-1Not for security

—

SHA-256

—

SHA-384

—

SHA-512

—

SHA3-256

—

SHA3-512

—

CRC32

—

Verify a checksum

Copy as code

const crypto = require('crypto');

const data = "";
const hash = crypto.createHash('sha256').update(data).digest('hex');
console.log(hash);

About Hash Generator

Whether you need to check that a download wasn't corrupted, sign a webhook payload with HMAC, or just compare two strings quickly, this tool computes every common hash algorithm at once and lets you verify against an expected checksum straight away. Files are streamed through a background Web Worker in 4 MB chunks so even a large file hashes without freezing the tab, and everything happens locally in your browser.

Features

Seven hash algorithms

MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, SHA3-256, SHA3-512 and CRC32, computed side by side.

Text and files

Hash pasted text or drag in a file up to 2 GB — files are streamed through in 4 MB chunks so the tab never freezes.

HMAC support

Turn on HMAC and supply a key in text, hex or Base64 to get a keyed digest instead of a plain hash.

Verify a checksum

Paste an expected hash — including sha256sum output — and see instantly whether it matches.

Copy as code

Ready-to-run snippets in ten languages, including Node, Python, Go, Java, C#, PHP, Ruby, Rust and the CLI.

100% client-side

Hashing runs in a background Web Worker in your browser. Nothing — not your text, key or file — is ever uploaded.

How to use Hash Generator

1
Enter text or drop a file
Paste text into the box, or drag in a file up to 2 GB.
2
Read the digests
MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, SHA3-256, SHA3-512 and CRC32 appear side by side.
3
Turn on HMAC if needed
Add a key in text, hex or Base64 to get a keyed digest instead of a plain hash.
4
Verify a checksum
Paste the expected hash to check it against what was computed.
5
Copy the result or the code
Copy a digest directly, or grab a ready-to-use snippet in ten languages.

Use cases

Verifying a downloaded ISO or installer against its published SHA-256 checksum
Generating an HMAC signature to sign an outgoing webhook payload
Comparing two files for equality by hashing both and checking the digests match
Getting a ready-to-paste hashing snippet for a new project in any language

Privacy

Hashing runs locally in a background Web Worker, with files streamed through in 4 MB chunks. Nothing you type, paste or drop is uploaded anywhere.

Frequently asked questions

Not for security. MD5 (and SHA-1) are broken for anything where an attacker could try to forge a matching file — collisions can be engineered fairly cheaply. They are still fine for non-adversarial checks like detecting accidental file corruption or de-duplicating files, which is why this tool still offers them, tagged "Not for security".

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About Hash Generator

Features

Seven hash algorithms

MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, SHA3-256, SHA3-512 and CRC32, computed side by side.

Text and files

Hash pasted text or drag in a file up to 2 GB — files are streamed through in 4 MB chunks so the tab never freezes.

HMAC support

Turn on HMAC and supply a key in text, hex or Base64 to get a keyed digest instead of a plain hash.

Verify a checksum

Paste an expected hash — including sha256sum output — and see instantly whether it matches.

Copy as code

Ready-to-run snippets in ten languages, including Node, Python, Go, Java, C#, PHP, Ruby, Rust and the CLI.

100% client-side

Hashing runs in a background Web Worker in your browser. Nothing — not your text, key or file — is ever uploaded.

How to use Hash Generator

Enter text or drop a file

Paste text into the box, or drag in a file up to 2 GB.

Read the digests

MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, SHA3-256, SHA3-512 and CRC32 appear side by side.

Turn on HMAC if needed

Add a key in text, hex or Base64 to get a keyed digest instead of a plain hash.

Verify a checksum

Paste the expected hash to check it against what was computed.

Copy the result or the code

Copy a digest directly, or grab a ready-to-use snippet in ten languages.

Frequently asked questions

Hash Generator – MD5, SHA-256, SHA-512, SHA3 & CRC32

Digests

Verify a checksum

Copy as code

About Hash Generator

Features

Seven hash algorithms

Text and files

HMAC support

Verify a checksum

Copy as code

100% client-side

How to use Hash Generator

Enter text or drop a file

Read the digests

Turn on HMAC if needed

Verify a checksum

Copy the result or the code

Use cases

Privacy

Frequently asked questions

Is MD5 still safe to use?

SHA-256 vs SHA-512 — which should I use?

What is HMAC and when do I need it?

Why doesn't my hash match the one from my terminal?

Can a hash be reversed or decrypted?

Related tools

Base64 Encoder & Decoder

Password Generator

JWT Decoder

Hash Generator – MD5, SHA-256, SHA-512, SHA3 & CRC32

Digests

Verify a checksum

Copy as code

About Hash Generator

Features

Seven hash algorithms

Text and files

HMAC support

Verify a checksum

Copy as code

100% client-side

How to use Hash Generator

Enter text or drop a file

Read the digests

Turn on HMAC if needed

Verify a checksum

Copy the result or the code

Use cases

Privacy

Frequently asked questions

Is MD5 still safe to use?

SHA-256 vs SHA-512 — which should I use?

What is HMAC and when do I need it?

Why doesn't my hash match the one from my terminal?

Can a hash be reversed or decrypted?

Related tools

Base64 Encoder & Decoder

Password Generator

JWT Decoder