SHA-256 Hash Generator
SHA-256 is part of the SHA-2 family and outputs a 256-bit (64 hex character) digest. It is the workhorse of modern cryptography: TLS certificates, Bitcoin, software signing, JWT signatures, and file integrity all lean on it heavily.
Because SHA-256 has no practical collision or preimage attacks, it is the recommended default when you need a secure, general-purpose hash. The digest below is produced by your browser's native Web Crypto implementation, entirely on your device.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
Digest size | 256 bits (32 bytes) |
Hex length | 64 characters |
Block size | 512 bits |
Family | SHA-2 |
Secure for new systems? | Yes — recommended default |
hello→2cf24dba5fb0a30e26e83b2ac5b9e29e1b161e5c1fa7425e73043362938b9824SHA-256 of "hello" — a standard fixture for testing hashing code.
Frequently asked questions
Is SHA-256 secure enough for production?
Yes. SHA-256 has no known practical collision or preimage attacks and is the recommended general-purpose hash for signatures, certificates, and integrity checks. For storing passwords, however, use a slow purpose-built function such as bcrypt, scrypt, or Argon2.
What is the difference between SHA-256 and SHA-2?
SHA-2 is a family of hash functions; SHA-256 is the 256-bit member of that family. Other members include SHA-224, SHA-384, and SHA-512, which differ mainly in digest size and internal word size.
Why does SHA-256 produce 64 characters?
The digest is 256 bits. Each hexadecimal character represents 4 bits, so 256 / 4 = 64 characters. The length is fixed no matter how large the input is.
Is this calculation done privately?
Yes. Hashing happens locally with the browser's Web Crypto API. No text is uploaded, logged, or stored.