About Hash Algorithms

Hash functions are cryptographic algorithms that convert an input of any size into a fixed-size string of bytes. The output, called a hash, is unique to each unique input and cannot be reversed to obtain the original data.

• MD5: 128-bit hash, fast but not secure for cryptographic purposes
• SHA-1: 160-bit hash, deprecated for security applications
• SHA-256: 256-bit hash, part of SHA-2 family, widely used and secure
• SHA-384: 384-bit hash, more secure variant of SHA-2
• SHA-512: 512-bit hash, highest security level in SHA-2 family