Updated Security & Cryptography Tool

Hash Generator

Generate cryptographic hashes (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512) and HMAC in your browser. Supports text, bulk and file hashing. Fast, private, and secure using the Web Crypto API.

MD5 SHA-1 SHA-256 SHA-384 SHA-512 HMAC

Generate Cryptographic Hashes in Your Browser

Enter text, paste multiple lines or select a file to generate MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512 or HMAC hashes. All hashing is intended to run locally in your browser using the Web Crypto API for privacy.

MD5 and SHA-1 are considered cryptographically broken for collision resistance and should not be used for new security designs. Prefer SHA-256 or higher and modern password hashing schemes for authentication.

Each non-empty line is hashed separately. Use this to generate hashes for lists of values such as IDs or email addresses.
The file hash is intended to be computed in your browser. For very large files, processing may take a little longer depending on your device.
For real systems, use strong, randomly generated keys. Here keys are treated as UTF-8 text.

Hash Generator – MD5, SHA & HMAC in One Tool

The Hash Generator on MyTimeCalculator lets you quickly compute cryptographic hashes for text, bulk lists and files using common algorithms like MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512 and HMAC variants. It is aimed at developers, system administrators, security engineers and curious users who need a simple way to verify data integrity or experiment with hashing functions.

All hashing operations are intended to run in your browser session using the Web Crypto API where available. That means the input you provide does not need to be sent to a remote hashing service, which is especially important when you are working with sensitive information.

1. What is a Cryptographic Hash Function?

A cryptographic hash function takes an input (message) and produces a fixed-size string of bits called a hash or digest. Good hash functions are designed to be:

  • One-way: Given a hash, it should be infeasible to recover the original input.
  • Collision resistant: It should be hard to find two different inputs that produce the same hash.
  • Deterministic: The same input always produces the same hash.
  • Sensitive to small changes: Changing one character in the input should significantly change the hash output.

Hashes are widely used for file integrity checks, checksums, digital signatures, message authentication codes and more.

2. Supported Algorithms and Their Uses

This Hash Generator supports several widely known hashing algorithms. Some are still recommended for modern cryptography, while others are kept for legacy compatibility:

  • MD5: Produces a 128-bit hash. MD5 is fast but no longer considered secure against collisions. Suitable for simple checksums or legacy environments, but not for new security designs.
  • SHA-1: Produces a 160-bit hash. Like MD5, SHA-1 has known collision attacks and is deprecated for most cryptographic uses.
  • SHA-256 / SHA-384 / SHA-512: Part of the SHA-2 family and currently recommended for many cryptographic applications, including TLS certificates, digital signatures and data integrity checks.
  • HMAC (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512): Hash-based Message Authentication Codes combine a secret key with a hash function to provide integrity and authenticity for messages.

3. How to Use the Hash Generator

  1. Choose a tab: Use Single Text to hash one value, Bulk Text for multiple lines, File Hash to hash an uploaded file and HMAC when you need keyed hashes.
  2. Select the algorithm: Pick MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384 or SHA-512 (and HMAC variants on the HMAC tab).
  3. Configure output format: Choose between hexadecimal or Base64 output and whether to display letters in uppercase or lowercase.
  4. Provide your input: Type or paste text, supply multiple lines for bulk hashing, or select a file from your device.
  5. Generate and copy: Click the calculate button to generate the hash, then use the copy button to quickly copy results to your clipboard.

4. Common Use Cases for Hashing

  • File integrity checks: Compare the hash of a downloaded file with a publisher-provided hash to confirm the file has not been tampered with.
  • Data deduplication: Hash records or objects to quickly spot duplicates in large datasets.
  • Lookup keys: Use hashes as keys in caches or indexing structures to speed up lookups.
  • Message authentication: Use HMAC to ensure messages have not been altered and originated from a holder of the secret key.

5. Important Security Notes

While this Hash Generator is convenient for quick checks and development workflows, keep these security guidelines in mind:

  • Do not rely on MD5 or SHA-1 for new cryptographic designs or where collision resistance is critical.
  • For storing passwords, use dedicated password hashing algorithms like bcrypt, scrypt, Argon2 or PBKDF2 rather than plain hashes.
  • Avoid computing hashes of highly sensitive data on shared or untrusted devices, even when hashing runs in the browser.
  • Always follow your organization’s security policies and use up-to-date cryptographic recommendations from trusted standards bodies.

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Hash Generator FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to common questions about how hashes work, the difference between MD5 and SHA, and how this Hash Generator handles your data.

The Hash Generator is designed so that hashing logic runs inside your browser using standard web APIs. That means text, bulk lists and files can be hashed locally without needing to send raw input to a remote hashing service. However, you should still avoid using untrusted or compromised devices for sensitive operations regardless of the tool you use.

MD5 and SHA-1 remain widely used in legacy systems and for non-cryptographic purposes such as basic checksums or file identification. The Hash Generator includes them for compatibility and testing but clearly marks them as unsuitable for new security-sensitive designs. For modern cryptography, consider SHA-256 or stronger, plus appropriate higher-level protocols and key management.

No. While you can generate hashes of passwords, best practice for password storage is to use specialized password hashing algorithms such as bcrypt, scrypt, Argon2 or PBKDF2 with salts and iteration counts. This tool is primarily for learning, troubleshooting and integrity checks, not for building full production authentication stacks by itself.

A plain hash is computed only from the input data, while an HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code) combines a secret key with the data. HMACs provide both integrity and authenticity: if the key is kept secret, only someone who knows the key can generate a valid HMAC for a message. HMACs are widely used in APIs, secure messaging and other protocols to prevent tampering and forgery.

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