SHA256 Hash Generator
Generate SHA256 hashes from text input with ease.
About SHA256 Hash
SHA256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256-bit) is a cryptographic hash function that produces a 256-bit (32-byte) hash value. It is part of the SHA-2 family of hash functions and is widely used for security applications.
Key characteristics:
- Produces a 64-character hexadecimal number
- Fixed-length output regardless of input size
- One-way function (cannot be reversed)
- More secure than MD5 and SHA-1
- Used in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies
Common Examples
Empty String
SHA256: e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855
"Hello, World!"
SHA256: 315f5bdb76d078c43b8ac0064e4a0164612b1fce77c869345bfc94c75894edd3
"password"
SHA256: 5e884898da28047151d0e56f8dc6292773603d0d6aabbdd62a11ef721d1542d8
Common Uses
Cryptocurrency
Used in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for transaction verification and mining
Digital Signatures
Creating secure digital signatures for documents and messages
Data Integrity
Verifying file integrity and detecting unauthorized modifications
Password Storage
Used in combination with salt for secure password storage (though bcrypt or Argon2 are preferred)
Security Considerations
Security Strength
SHA256 is currently considered secure and resistant to collision attacks
Best Practices
Always use salt with SHA256 for password hashing
Consider using key stretching for additional security
Use HMAC-SHA256 for message authentication
Future Considerations
While currently secure, SHA256 may become vulnerable to quantum computing attacks in the future
Consider SHA-3 for future-proof applications