What is the difference between MD5 and SHA-256?

MD5 and SHA-256 both produce fixed-size fingerprints of data, but MD5 is cryptographically broken for collision resistance and should not be used for security. SHA-256 is part of the SHA-2 family and remains appropriate for integrity checks and signatures when used correctly. We provide MD5 only for legacy checksum workflows (downloads, older APIs).

Why are SHA hashes empty in my browser?

The Web Crypto API (used for SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512) is only available in secure contexts such as HTTPS or http://localhost. On plain HTTP, those digests may be unavailable while MD5 still runs locally. Deploy the site over HTTPS or test on localhost to compute SHA hashes.

How do file hashes differ from text hashes?

When you drop a file, we hash the raw file bytes exactly as stored on disk. When you type text, we hash the UTF-8 encoding of that string. The same characters can produce a different digest than a file that merely contains those characters, because encodings, line endings, and byte order matter.

Is this tool suitable for passwords?

No. Passwords should be hashed on the server with a dedicated password hashing function (such as Argon2, scrypt, or bcrypt) that includes a unique salt and tuning parameters. Fast digests like MD5 or SHA-256 alone are inappropriate for storing passwords.

Do you upload my files or text?

No. All hashing runs in your browser. Files are read with the File API and never sent to WebStatus.in servers unless you explicitly use another feature that performs network requests.

Free Online Hash Generator — MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-512

Hash Generator

Uppercase hex

Drop a file to hash its raw bytes, or type below for UTF-8 text.

Text (UTF-8)0 chars

Digests

MD5—

SHA-1—

SHA-256—

SHA-512—

Text input is capped at 500,000 characters. Files up to 32 MB. MD5 is for compatibility only; prefer SHA-256 for integrity checks.

Related Tools

Base64 Encoder

Encode raw bytes as Base64 when you need a text-safe representation instead of a hex digest.

JWT Debugger

Inspect signed tokens that often rely on SHA-based HMAC or RSA algorithms in the header.

Password Generator

Create strong random passwords; pair with proper server-side hashing rather than raw digests.

What is a cryptographic hash?

A cryptographic hash function maps input of any size to a short fixed-length digest. Changing even one bit of input typically produces a completely different digest, which makes hashes useful for integrity checks, deduplication, and (with proper algorithms) digital signatures.

Hashes are one-way in practice: you cannot recover the original message from the digest alone. That property is distinct from encryption, which is designed to be reversible with a key.

How to use this tool

Type or paste text to hash it as UTF-8 bytes, or drop a file (or use Choose file) to hash its exact binary contents.
Read the MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512 rows as they update automatically.
Toggle Uppercase hex if you need capital A–F digits for documentation or vendor samples.
Use each row's Copy button to grab a digest for tickets, build logs, or checksum files.
Click Clear all to reset text and any selected file.

Common use cases

Release artifacts: Publish SHA-256 or SHA-512 checksums so downloaders can verify packages were not tampered with in transit.
Cache keys: Derive stable keys from canonical serialized content in build systems and CDNs.
Data pipelines: Compare file versions quickly by comparing digests instead of full binary diffs.
Debugging APIs: Confirm that the JSON body you hashed locally matches what a server logged.

Security and privacy notes

Treat public hashes as fingerprints, not secrets. If you need authenticity, combine hashing with a secret key (HMAC) or use digital signatures. Never use fast hashes alone to store user passwords.

This page uses the browser's Web Crypto API for SHA algorithms and a local MD5 implementation for compatibility. Nothing is sent to our infrastructure for hashing unless you navigate to a different tool that explicitly performs network calls.

Frequently asked questions about hashing

What is a cryptographic hash?

Hashes are one-way in practice: you cannot recover the original message from the digest alone. That property is distinct from encryption, which is designed to be reversible with a key.

How to use this tool

Type or paste text to hash it as UTF-8 bytes, or drop a file (or use Choose file) to hash its exact binary contents.

Read the MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and SHA-512 rows as they update automatically.

Toggle Uppercase hex if you need capital A–F digits for documentation or vendor samples.

Use each row's Copy button to grab a digest for tickets, build logs, or checksum files.

Click Clear all to reset text and any selected file.

Common use cases

Release artifacts: Publish SHA-256 or SHA-512 checksums so downloaders can verify packages were not tampered with in transit.

Cache keys: Derive stable keys from canonical serialized content in build systems and CDNs.

Data pipelines: Compare file versions quickly by comparing digests instead of full binary diffs.

Debugging APIs: Confirm that the JSON body you hashed locally matches what a server logged.

Security and privacy notes

Treat public hashes as fingerprints, not secrets. If you need authenticity, combine hashing with a secret key (HMAC) or use digital signatures. Never use fast hashes alone to store user passwords.