What is a hash generator used for?
Hash generators create fixed-length fingerprints from input data, which are commonly used to verify file integrity, compare data quickly, and store non-reversible representations of values.[web:183][web:186][web:190]
MD5 vs SHA1 vs SHA256 vs SHA512
- MD5 and SHA1 are fast but considered weak for password security; they remain useful for basic checksums and legacy systems.[web:183][web:186][web:193]
- SHA256 and SHA512 provide stronger hashes that are more resistant to collisions and widely used in APIs, SSL, and modern applications.[web:186][web:190][web:202]
- For secure password storage, dedicated algorithms like bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2 are recommended instead of plain hash functions.[web:183][web:186]