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SHA256 Encrypt & Decrypt
Generate SHA256 hashes from any text instantly. The industry-standard hashing algorithm used in Bitcoin, TLS, JWT tokens and API security — 100% in your browser.
MD5 — Weak Security
MD5 has known vulnerabilities and collision attacks. Do not use for passwords or security-critical data. Use SHA256 or SHA512 instead.
What Each Algorithm Is Used For
SHA256 — 256-bit Hash
Produces a 64-character hex string. The industry standard — used in Bitcoin, JWT, TLS and API security.
Bitcoin & Blockchain
Bitcoin uses SHA256 double-hashing for transaction IDs, block hashing, and the proof-of-work mining algorithm.
JWT & API Signing
HMAC-SHA256 is the most common algorithm for signing JSON Web Tokens and authenticating API requests (AWS, Stripe, etc.).
TLS Certificates
Modern HTTPS certificates use SHA256 for digital signatures, replacing the deprecated SHA1 standard.
How to Use
SHA256 Pre-Selected
SHA256 is automatically active — the gold standard of hashing. It generates a 256-bit (64 character) hash. Widely used in Bitcoin, TLS, JWT and API signatures.
Enter Your Text
Type or paste any string — API key, password, file data, or message. SHA256 hash generates instantly. Even one character change produces a completely different hash.
Verify Integrity
Use the comparison tool to check if two SHA256 hashes match — standard practice for verifying API responses, file downloads, and JWT signatures.
Bulk SHA256 & Export
Switch to Bulk Mode to hash multiple strings at once and export all SHA256 hashes as CSV.
Frequently Asked
Questions
1. What is SHA256?
SHA256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256-bit) is part of the SHA-2 family designed by the NSA. It produces a 256-bit (64 character hexadecimal) hash. SHA256 is the most widely used hashing algorithm today — used in Bitcoin blockchain, TLS/SSL certificates, JWT tokens, code signing, and API request signatures.
2. Is SHA256 secure?
Yes — SHA256 is considered cryptographically secure with no known practical collision attacks. It offers 128 bits of collision resistance, which exceeds current computing capabilities to break. It is the NIST-recommended standard for most hashing applications and is expected to remain secure for the foreseeable future.
3. What is SHA256 used for?
SHA256 is used in: Bitcoin and cryptocurrency transactions, HTTPS/TLS certificates, JWT (JSON Web Tokens), HMAC-SHA256 for API authentication, code signing and software distribution, password hashing (as PBKDF2-SHA256), Git object storage, and S3 request signing (AWS Signature Version 4).
4. What is the SHA256 hash length?
A SHA256 hash is always exactly 64 characters long (256 bits / 32 bytes), regardless of input size. This makes it easy to store in a database as a fixed-length VARCHAR(64) column.
5. Can SHA256 be decrypted?
No. SHA256 is a one-way function and cannot be reversed. Unlike encryption (which is two-way), hashing is designed to be irreversible. Common short strings may appear in rainbow tables, but a properly salted SHA256 hash is computationally infeasible to crack.
6. Is my data private?
100% private. SHA256 hashing runs entirely in your browser using CryptoJS. Nothing is sent to any server. Your API keys, passwords, and sensitive data never leave your device.
