No. MD5 is cryptographically broken and far too fast. Use bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2 for passwords — these are slow by design to resist brute force attacks.
Free Developer Tool
Hash Generator
Generate MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512 hashes from text or any file — live as you type, entirely in your browser. Compare two hashes to verify integrity in one click.
- ✔ MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512
- ✔ Live text hashing
- ✔ File hashing (any size)
- ✔ Hash comparison tool
- ✔ Nothing uploaded
- ✔ Free Forever
Generate Cryptographic Hashes Instantly
Hashing is one of the most fundamental operations in software security — used to verify file integrity after a download, store passwords (via bcrypt or Argon2, both of which build on top of hash functions), generate checksums, sign messages, and create fingerprints for deduplication.
This free tool computes MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512 hashes from any text or file, entirely in your browser using the native Web Crypto API (for SHA variants) and a pure-JavaScript MD5 implementation. Nothing you hash here is sent to any server.
How It Works
1. Choose a Tab
Hash text directly (live as you type), hash a file, or compare two hashes.
2. Input Your Data
Type or paste text, or drag and drop any file — any format, any size.
3. Get All Hashes
All five algorithms compute simultaneously — no need to pick one upfront.
4. Copy & Verify
Copy any individual hash, or use the Compare tab to verify integrity.
Hash any file — executables, archives, ISOs, documents — to generate a checksum
you can share alongside your download, or compare against a published checksum to
verify integrity.
Click to upload or drag and drop any file
Any format, any size — processed entirely in your browser
Paste two hashes to compare them — useful for verifying a downloaded file's checksum against the one published by the developer.
Hash Algorithm Guide
Which Algorithm Should You Use?
MD5 and SHA-1 are cryptographically broken — collision attacks exist for both.
Never use them for security purposes (password hashing, digital signatures, certificate fingerprints).
They remain useful only for non-security checksums (detecting accidental corruption, deduplication)
where an adversary is not involved.
| Algorithm | Output Length | Speed | Security Status | Use This For | Don't Use For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MD5 | 128 bits (32 hex) | Very fast | Broken | Legacy checksums, non-security deduplication | Passwords, signatures, certificates |
| SHA-1 | 160 bits (40 hex) | Fast | Broken | Git commit IDs (legacy), non-security checksums | TLS certificates, code signing, passwords |
| SHA-256 | 256 bits (64 hex) | Fast | Secure | File integrity, HMAC, digital signatures, TLS | Directly hashing passwords (use bcrypt/Argon2) |
| SHA-384 | 384 bits (96 hex) | Fast | Secure | Higher security margin than SHA-256, TLS 1.3 | Directly hashing passwords |
| SHA-512 | 512 bits (128 hex) | Fast (faster than SHA-256 on 64-bit CPUs) | Secure | Maximum hash length, file integrity, HMAC-SHA-512 | Directly hashing passwords |
Why not hash passwords with SHA-256?
SHA-256 is too fast — an attacker with a GPU can test billions of passwords per second. Password hashing needs a deliberately slow function: bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2. These are built on top of hash functions but add work factors that make brute force impractical.
What is HMAC?
HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code) combines a hash function with a secret key — HMAC-SHA256 is the signature algorithm inside most JWTs and API request signing schemes. It proves both integrity (the data wasn't changed) and authenticity (the sender knows the key).
How to verify a file download
- Download the file.
- Find the published SHA-256 checksum on the developer's site.
- Hash your downloaded file using the Hash File tab above.
- Paste both hashes into the Compare tab — they should match exactly.
FAQsHash Generator
Can I use MD5 for password hashing?
What is SHA-256 used for?
SHA-256 is used for file integrity verification, HMAC authentication, digital signatures, TLS certificate fingerprints, and as the foundation of most blockchain protocols.
Is my file uploaded when I hash it?
No. Hashing uses the FileReader API and the browser's Web Crypto API entirely locally. No data is uploaded to any server.
Why is SHA-512 sometimes faster than SHA-256?
SHA-512 uses 64-bit words, making it faster than SHA-256 (32-bit words) on modern 64-bit CPUs, even though it produces a longer output.