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What Is Hashing - Examples

Hashing is the process of converting data into a fixed-size output using a hash function, ensuring characteristics like fixed output size, determinism, and collision resistance. It is commonly used for password storage, data integrity verification, hash tables for quick data retrieval, and maintaining blockchain integrity. Common hash functions include MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and CRC32.

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10 views1 page

What Is Hashing - Examples

Hashing is the process of converting data into a fixed-size output using a hash function, ensuring characteristics like fixed output size, determinism, and collision resistance. It is commonly used for password storage, data integrity verification, hash tables for quick data retrieval, and maintaining blockchain integrity. Common hash functions include MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, and CRC32.

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What is Hashing? Examples.

Hashing is a process of converting data of any size into a fixed-size output (known as a hash
value, hash code, or digest) using a mathematical function called a hash function. Hashing is
widely used in computer science for data storage, retrieval, and security.
Characteristics of Hashing:
1. Fixed Output Size: No matter the input size, the output hash is of a fixed length.
2. Deterministic: The same input will always produce the same output.
3. Fast Computation: Hash functions are designed to be computationally efficient.
4. Irreversible: It's computationally infeasible to retrieve the original input from the hash.
5. Collision Resistance: It should be difficult to find two different inputs that produce the same
hash value.
Examples of Hashing:
1. Password Storage:
When storing user passwords, they are often hashed to ensure security.
Input: password123
Hash (using SHA-256):
ef92b778bafe771e89245b89ecbcbe47d85a92e986ed0858b6d8e3c327c5aee3
The actual password isn't stored, only its hash.
2. Data Integrity (Checksums):
Hashing is used to verify if data has been altered during transmission.
Example: A file's hash can be computed before and after transmission. If the hashes match, the
file has not been tampered with.
3. Hash Tables:
Hashing is used in data structures like hash tables for quick data retrieval.
Example: If "Alice" is hashed to 123 and stored at index 123, you can directly access Alice's
data using the hash.
4. Blockchain:
Hashing ensures the integrity of blocks in a blockchain.
Example: A block in a blockchain might hash its data (transactions) to a value like:
0000000000000000000acdf5b9877a4a
Common Hash Functions:
MD5 (Message Digest 5) – Now considered insecure for cryptographic purposes.
SHA-1 (Secure Hash Algorithm 1) – Also insecure for cryptographic use.
SHA-256 – Part of the SHA-2 family and widely used in modern applications.
CRC32 – Used in checksums for error detection.
Hashing is crucial in many applications, including databases, authentication, and digital
signatures.

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