⭐ Starlight Tools / Hash Generator

Hash Generator (MD5, SHA1, SHA256)

Generate various cryptographic hashes of any text string.

MD5:
SHA-1:
SHA-256:

Understanding Cryptographic Hashes

A **cryptographic hash function** is a mathematical algorithm that maps data of arbitrary size (like a text string) to a bit array of a fixed size (the "hash value" or "digest"). It's designed to be a one-way function, meaning it's computationally infeasible to reverse the process and determine the original input from the hash value alone.

Key Properties of Cryptographic Hash Functions:

  • Deterministic: The same input will always produce the same hash output.
  • Quick to Compute: Generating a hash for any given input is fast.
  • Pre-image Resistance (One-Way): It's extremely difficult to find the original input given only the hash output.
  • Second Pre-image Resistance: It's hard to find a different input that produces the same hash as a given input.
  • Collision Resistance: It's very difficult to find two different inputs that produce the exact same hash output.

Common Hash Algorithms:

  • MD5 (Message-Digest Algorithm 5):

    A widely used hash function producing a 128-bit (16-byte) hash value. While historically popular, MD5 is now considered cryptographically broken and unsuitable for applications requiring collision resistance (e.g., digital signatures, SSL certificates) due to known vulnerabilities. It is still often used for checksums to verify data integrity against unintentional corruption.

  • SHA-1 (Secure Hash Algorithm 1):

    Produces a 160-bit (20-byte) hash value. SHA-1 is also considered cryptographically insecure and deprecated for most security applications due to theoretical and practical collision attacks. Like MD5, it might still be found in legacy systems or for non-security-critical integrity checks.

  • SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256):

    Part of the SHA-2 family, it produces a 256-bit (32-byte) hash value. SHA-256 is currently considered secure and is widely used in many security protocols and applications, including SSL/TLS, blockchain (e.g., Bitcoin), and digital signatures. It offers strong collision resistance.

How This Tool Works

This Hash Generator operates entirely client-side within your browser, ensuring your privacy as no data leaves your device. It leverages JavaScript for its functionality:

  • For **SHA-1** and **SHA-256**, it uses the browser's built-in Web Crypto API (specifically `SubtleCrypto`), which provides secure and efficient cryptographic operations.
  • For **MD5**, since the `Web Crypto API` does not support it, a lightweight, client-side JavaScript library is used.
  • The input text is encoded, hashed using the selected algorithms, and the resulting hash values are displayed in hexadecimal format.