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FundamentalsBeginner
Cryptographic Hash Functions
Explore SHA-256, SHA-384, and why MD5/SHA-1 are deprecated. See collision resistance demonstrated.
Interactive Demo
Hash Functions - One-Way Fingerprints
Hash functions transform any data into a fixed-size "fingerprint" that uniquely identifies the input.
Step 0 of 4
Ready to hash
Input (any size)
Hello World!
12 characters
SHA-256
Output (always 64 hex chars)
????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
256 bits = 64 hex characters
Key Properties of Hash Functions
🎯
Deterministic
Same input always produces same output
📏
Fixed Size
Output length is always the same
🚫
One-Way
Cannot reverse hash to get input
🛡️
Collision Resistant
Nearly impossible to find two inputs with same hash
Want to learn more?
Dive deeper into cryptographic hash functions, security considerations, and real-world applications.