Free Hash Generator - MD5, SHA-256, SHA-512 & File Hashing

About This Tool

Securely hash passwords, verify file integrity, and generate checksums with our advanced Hash Generator. Cryptographic hashing is fundamental to modern security, used everywhere from password storage to blockchain technology. Simply type or paste text and select from six industry-standard algorithms including MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-512, SHA3-256, and RIPEMD-160. Your sensitive input data never leaves your device. The tool also supports HMAC (keyed-hash message authentication) for signing API requests and verifying webhook payloads. Upload files of any size to compute their checksum and verify download integrity. Toggle uppercase output for compatibility with systems that expect capitalized hex strings. No signup, no limits, no data collection.

Common Hashing Algorithms

Different hashing algorithms offer varying levels of security and performance. Choose based on your use case:

MD5 (128-bit): Fast but vulnerable to collision attacks. Used primarily for file integrity checks (checksums) where security is not critical. Never use for passwords or security-sensitive applications.
SHA-1 (160-bit): Deprecated for security use since 2017 but still found in legacy systems. Git uses SHA-1 internally for commit IDs, though this is being migrated to SHA-256.
SHA-256 (256-bit): The industry standard for security. Used in Bitcoin, SSL/TLS certificates, and password storage systems. Highly recommended for most applications requiring cryptographic security.
SHA-512 (512-bit): Even more secure than SHA-256 with larger output. Preferred for high-security applications and when you need extra collision resistance. Slightly slower but offers more bits of security.
SHA-3 (Keccak): The newest SHA standard, designed as a backup to SHA-2. Uses a completely different internal structure (sponge construction) for added security diversity.
RIPEMD-160: Used in Bitcoin addresses alongside SHA-256. Provides 160-bit output and was designed as an alternative to SHA-1.

What is HMAC?

HMAC (Hash-Based Message Authentication Code) combines a cryptographic hash function with a secret key. It's used to verify both the data integrity and the authenticity of a message.

Developers use HMAC to sign API requests. Services like AWS, Stripe, and GitHub use HMAC signatures to verify that webhook payloads haven't been tampered with. If you don't have the secret key, you can't generate the correct hash, proving the message came from a trusted source.

Common HMAC implementations include HMAC-SHA256 (most popular), HMAC-SHA1 (legacy), and HMAC-SHA512 (high security).

How to Verify File Integrity

When downloading large software (like Linux ISOs, development tools, or security software), developers often provide a SHA-256 checksum. This protects against corrupted downloads and malicious tampering.

To verify a file:

Download the file and the published checksum from the official source
Upload the file to our tool or use command-line tools like sha256sum
Compare your generated hash with the published checksum
If they match exactly, your file is authentic and uncorrupted

This process is essential for security-critical software like password managers, cryptocurrency wallets, and operating system images.

Password Hashing Best Practices

While this tool demonstrates hashing, production password storage requires additional steps:

Use specialized algorithms: bcrypt, Argon2, or scrypt are designed for passwords with built-in salting and configurable work factors
Always salt passwords: Add a unique random value to each password before hashing to prevent rainbow table attacks
Use slow hash functions: Password hashes should be intentionally slow (100ms+) to make brute-force attacks impractical
Never use MD5 or SHA-1: These are too fast and vulnerable for password storage

Our tool uses standard SHA algorithms, which are suitable for checksums and HMAC but should be combined with salting for password applications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it safe to type my password here?

Yes. All hashing happens locally on your device. Nothing is transmitted over the internet. You can verify this by disconnecting from the internet and confirming the tool still works. However, we always recommend NOT pasting real production passwords into any online tool as a security best practice.

Why is MD5 considered "broken"?

Researchers have found ways to generate two different files that produce the exact same MD5 hash (a "collision"). In 2004, researchers demonstrated practical collision attacks, and by 2012, the Flame malware used an MD5 collision to forge Microsoft certificates. This makes MD5 unsafe for digital signatures or certificates, but it remains acceptable for non-security checksums like verifying file downloads.

What is the difference between hashing and encryption?

Hashing is one-way: you cannot recover the original data from a hash. It always produces the same output for the same input. Encryption is two-way: with the correct key, you can decrypt the data back to its original form. Use hashing for password storage and data integrity verification. Use encryption when you need to retrieve the original data later.

How do I hash large files without crashing my browser?

Our tool processes large files in 1MB chunks using incremental hashing. This prevents memory issues and allows the browser to remain responsive. You will see a progress bar showing the hashing progress. Files up to several gigabytes can be processed, though very large files may take a few minutes depending on your device speed.