SHA-1 generator

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Create a SHA-1 hash online from any text or file in one click. This SHA-1 generator returns a 160-bit digest as a 40-character hexadecimal string—handy for legacy integrity checks, data deduplication, and compatibility testing. Typical needs include SHA-1 checksum verification, SHA-1 hash of a string, and calculate SHA-1 of a file online. Note: SHA-1 is considered cryptographically broken and should not be used for security-sensitive purposes.

What is SHA-1?

SHA-1 (Secure Hash Algorithm 1) outputs a fixed 160-bit fingerprint of input data. While widely used in the past (version control, package mirrors, older TLS/cert chains), modern research has shown collision vulnerabilities. Today, SHA-1 survives mainly for backward compatibility—most new systems have moved to SHA-256, SHA-512, or SHA-3.

How to use the SHA-1 Generator

  1. Enter text or upload a file whose fingerprint you need.
  2. Click Generate to compute the SHA-1 hash value (40-char hex).
  3. Copy the digest and compare it to a known checksum or store it for reference.

When should you use it?

  • Legacy integrity checks: Some archives or tools still publish a SHA-1 checksum alongside newer hashes.
  • Duplicate detection: Quick, deterministic IDs for files in non-security contexts.
  • Compatibility testing: Reproduce old SHA-1 digests for regression tests or legacy APIs.

Who is this for?

  • Developers & DevOps maintaining older pipelines that still expect SHA-1.
  • IT & QA teams validating historical artifacts where SHA-1 was the published hash.
  • Researchers demonstrating hash collisions and crypto best practices.

Best practices & caveats

  • Do not use SHA-1 for security: Avoid for passwords, signatures, or tamper-evidence. Prefer Argon2/bcrypt/PBKDF2 for passwords and SHA-256/SHA-3 for general hashing.
  • Exact bytes matter: Different encodings, line endings, or tiny file changes produce a different digest.
  • Publish multiple hashes: If you must share checksums, include SHA-256 (or SHA-512) in addition to SHA-1 for modern compatibility.

Examples

SHA-1 of a string

Input: "hello world" Output: 2aae6c35c94fcfb415dbe95f408b9ce91ee846ed

SHA-1 of a file (command-line reference)

# macOS shasum -a 1 /path/to/file
Linux

sha1sum /path/to/file

Windows PowerShell

Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA1 "C:\path\to\file"

FAQ

Can I decrypt a SHA-1 hash?

No. Hashes are one-way. “Decryption” sites simply search precomputed tables or known values.

Why doesn’t my result match the publisher’s?

Verify you hashed the exact same bytes: check encoding (UTF-8 vs UTF-16), hidden characters, line endings (\r\n vs \n), or whether the file was altered/compressed.

Is SHA-1 still safe?

No for security. It is considered broken due to feasible collisions. Use SHA-256 or stronger for new designs.

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