Definition
A function that maps input data of any length to a hash value of fixed length
Visual IT Encyclopedia › Information Security › Cryptography
Visual IT Encyclopedia › Information Security › Cryptography
Definition
A function that maps input data of any length to a hash value of fixed length
The example hash function is SHA-256. Any input gives a 256-bit hash value, which is 64 hexadecimal digits.
hello2cf24dba 5fb0a30e 26e83b2a c5b9e29e 1b161e5c 1fa7425e 73043362 938b98240 / 5
What is a hash function?
A hash function takes any data and returns a short value of fixed length, the hash value. It works like a fingerprint of the data: it is used to check whether a file changed, to avoid storing passwords as they are, and to build MACs and digital signatures.
The inputs are short English strings such as hello and Hello, and every hash below is a real SHA-256 result.