Which hash algorithm should I use?

For integrity checks and general fingerprints today, SHA-256 or SHA-512. MD5 and SHA-1 still work for detecting accidental corruption but must not be used where an adversary can craft collisions — signatures, certificates, password storage.

Why do MD5 and SHA-1 hashes differ between tools for the same text?

Usually the input is not identical: a trailing newline, CRLF versus LF line endings, or a BOM all change the bytes and therefore every digest. Paste again without the hidden characters and they will match.

Can I recover the original text from a hash?

No. Hashing is one-way by design. A hash "database" only matches precomputed inputs — a strong, unique input such as a random password will not be found in one.

Hash Generator — Guide

Hash a text string using the function you need : MD5, SHA1, SHA256, SHA224, SHA512, SHA384, SHA3 or RIPEMD160 — with 16-digit MD5 and upper/lower-case hex output

What it is and when to use it

A hash function turns input of any size into a fixed-length digest: the same input always gives the same digest, but you cannot get the input back from it. This tool computes all of the widely used algorithms at once — MD5, RIPEMD-160, the SHA-1/2/3 families — and shows each digest as hex plus binary, so a single paste replaces running openssl dgst per algorithm. Hashes of text are not hashes of files: an extra trailing newline silently changes every digest, which is the most common reason two "identical" texts disagree. For signatures and message authentication you need HMAC instead (see Related Tools); for passwords you need a slow, salted scheme like bcrypt — neither a plain SHA-256 nor this page's output is acceptable there.

Computes MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-512, SHA-3, RIPEMD-160 and more digests of a text, in hex or binary — for verifying content integrity or producing fingerprints.

How to use it

Paste the text
Choose the algorithm in the result area
Copy the corresponding digest

A worked example

Fill in sample text

hello world

Copy this into the tool, or open Hash Generator

Things that trip people up

MD5 and SHA1 are no longer collision-resistant; do not use them for passwords or signatures

Questions people ask

Which hash algorithm should I use?: For integrity checks and general fingerprints today, SHA-256 or SHA-512. MD5 and SHA-1 still work for detecting accidental corruption but must not be used where an adversary can craft collisions — signatures, certificates, password storage.
Why do MD5 and SHA-1 hashes differ between tools for the same text?: Usually the input is not identical: a trailing newline, CRLF versus LF line endings, or a BOM all change the bytes and therefore every digest. Paste again without the hidden characters and they will match.
Can I recover the original text from a hash?: No. Hashing is one-way by design. A hash "database" only matches precomputed inputs — a strong, unique input such as a random password will not be found in one.

Next steps

Open the Hash Generator tool

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