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SHA256 Generator: SHA-256 Hash of Any Text

Generate a SHA-256 hash of any text, instantly.

Developer Tools Free, no sign-up Runs in your browser
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About the SHA-256 Generator

SHA-256 Generator produces the 256-bit SHA-2 digest of whatever you paste, shown as 64 hexadecimal characters. It is the default choice for integrity checking and the hash underneath a great deal of modern infrastructure, from TLS certificates to Bitcoin.

Unlike MD5 and SHA-1, SHA-256 has no known practical collision attack. Nobody has produced two different inputs with the same SHA-256 digest, and on current understanding nobody is going to. That is what makes it suitable where an adversary might choose the input: signatures, certificate fingerprints, content addressing and download verification.

The calculation uses the Web Crypto API built into your browser, which is the same implementation web applications use for security work. That means the values here match any other correct implementation exactly, and that the work happens on your own device.

One common misuse is worth naming. SHA-256 is not a password hashing function. It is designed to be fast, and fast is exactly wrong for passwords, because it lets an attacker with a leaked database try billions of guesses per second. Passwords need bcrypt, scrypt or Argon2 with a per-user salt.

Everything runs inside your browser. Nothing you paste is uploaded, logged or stored, which matters when the input is a client list, an internal URL map or anything else you would not post publicly.

How to use the SHA-256 Generator

  1. Type or paste your textThe SHA-256 digest appears immediately and updates as you type.
  2. Copy the hashOne button copies the 64-character value.
  3. Compare against a known valuePaste a published checksum to confirm a match.
  4. Use it where it belongsIntegrity and signatures, yes; raw password storage, no.

Features

  • Standard 64-character hexadecimal SHA-256 output
  • Uses the browser's own Web Crypto implementation
  • Updates live as you type
  • Correct UTF-8 handling for accented text and emoji
  • A compare box that confirms whether a given hash matches
  • No known practical collision attack, unlike MD5 and SHA-1
  • Nothing is uploaded or stored

Who uses this tool

The sha-256 generator is used by writers, developers, students, marketers and anyone else who needs the job done once without installing software. Common cases include:

  • Verifying a downloaded file against a published SHA-256 checksum
  • Producing a content-addressed identifier for a string
  • Checking that two pieces of text are byte-for-byte identical
  • Generating a fingerprint for an API payload
  • Learning how a cryptographic hash behaves

Frequently asked questions

Is SHA-256 secure?

Yes, for the jobs hashes are meant for. There is no known practical way to find two inputs with the same digest, which is why it underpins TLS certificates, software signing and a great deal else.

Can SHA-256 be reversed?

No. It is one-way. The only approach is guessing inputs and hashing them, which is why a SHA-256 of a long random string is safe and a SHA-256 of 'password123' is not.

Should I hash passwords with SHA-256?

No. It is far too fast. A leaked database of SHA-256 password hashes can be attacked at billions of guesses per second. Use bcrypt, scrypt or Argon2 with a unique salt for each user.

What is the difference between SHA-256 and SHA-2?

SHA-2 is the family; SHA-256 is the 256-bit member of it, alongside SHA-384 and SHA-512. SHA-256 is the usual default.

Why does my hash differ from another tool's?

Almost always a text encoding difference, or a trailing newline. This page encodes as UTF-8 with no added characters, which is the standard behaviour.

Is my text sent anywhere?

No. The Web Crypto API runs inside your browser.

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