# Hash Generator & Checker

SHA-1 · SHA-256 · SHA-512 — fingerprints for your data, computed privately in your browser — by Dinal Studios

🧮 Hash Text INSTANT

Type or paste any text. The hash updates as you type, using your browser's built-in Web Crypto engine — the text never leaves this page.

Your hash will appear here…

📁 Hash a File INTEGRITY CHECK

Select a file to compute its fingerprint locally. This is how you verify a download wasn't corrupted or tampered with: compare the result with the checksum the publisher provides.

No file selected yet.

✅ Hash Checker — Do They Match?

Paste an expected hash (for example, from a software download page) and a hash you computed. The checker compares them character by character — even one different character means the data is different.

🎓 Hashing vs Encryption — What's the Difference?

Two ideas that are often confused — but they do opposite jobs.

Hashing = one-way fingerprint. A hash function turns any input into a fixed-length fingerprint. The same input always gives the same hash, but you cannot reverse a hash back into the original data. Change one letter and the hash changes completely (the "avalanche effect").
Encryption = locked box with a key. Encryption scrambles data so it can be decrypted back with the right key. Encryption protects confidentiality; hashing protects integrity. They solve different problems and are often used together.
Where hashes are usedWhy
Password storageWebsites store a salted hash of your password, not the password itself — so a database leak doesn't directly reveal it.
Downloads & software updatesPublishers post a checksum so you can prove the file you downloaded is exactly the file they released.
Digital signatures & certificatesA signature signs the hash of a document — fast, and any edit invalidates it.
Git & version controlEvery commit is identified by the SHA-1/SHA-256 hash of its contents.
BlockchainBlocks link to the hash of the previous block, making history tamper-evident.
⚠️ Important: SHA-1 is considered broken for security-critical use (collisions have been demonstrated). Use SHA-256 or SHA-512 for anything that matters. Hashing a password for storage should use a dedicated slow algorithm (bcrypt, scrypt, Argon2) — never a fast raw hash.

🔒 100% private: all hashing happens on your device with the Web Crypto API. No text or file is ever uploaded.

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