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Settings
HMAC uses a secret key to create authenticated hash signatures
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About This Tool
SHA-512 is the heavyweight champion of the SHA-2 family, producing 512-bit (128 hex character) hashes with maximum collision resistance. I reach for SHA-512 over SHA-256 when working with 64-bit systems where it actually performs better, handling large file checksums (ISOs, database backups), or when compliance requirements demand the highest security margin (government, healthcare, financial systems). SHA-512 provides ~256 bits of security against collision attacks versus SHA-256's ~128 bits, making it future-proof against quantum computing threats. It's the default in many enterprise systems, NIST-approved for federal applications, and used in password hashing schemes like SHA-512-crypt. Like SHA-256, it's cryptographically secure but fast—which means you still need proper salting and stretching (bcrypt, argon2) for password storage, not raw SHA-512.
How to Use
Enter text or drag & drop a file to instantly generate a 128-character hexadecimal SHA-512 hash. Choose output encoding: Hex (lowercase/uppercase standard) or Base64 (compact format, saves 50% space—useful for databases or URLs). Enable HMAC-SHA512 mode for authenticated signatures by providing a secret key—this creates keyed-hash message authentication codes used in OAuth2, AWS API signatures, webhook validation, and JWT signing. HMAC prevents length-extension attacks that affect plain hashes. Performance: SHA-512 is faster than SHA-256 on 64-bit processors due to native 64-bit operations, but slower on 32-bit systems. Handles files up to ~100MB in browser; for larger datasets use command-line tools. Real-world usage: verify software downloads (Linux ISOs publish SHA-512 checksums), validate backup integrity, generate content-addressed storage keys, or create deterministic IDs from configuration data. Security: hash is deterministic (same input = same hash, good for verification) and one-way (cannot reverse to get original data).
Common Use Cases
Software Distribution Verification
Major Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch) publish SHA-512 checksums for ISO downloads. Generate hash of your downloaded file and compare—any mismatch indicates corruption or tampering.
Large File Integrity
Hash database dumps, video files, or VM images before/after transfers to detect bit-rot or transmission errors. SHA-512 handles gigabyte files better than MD5 or SHA-1.
HMAC API Signatures
Secure webhooks by signing payloads with HMAC-SHA512. Example: GitHub webhook signatures, Stripe event verification. Server computes HMAC of request body with shared secret and compares with signature header.
Password Hashing (legacy systems)
Some systems use SHA-512-crypt (Unix password hashing with salt and rounds). While better than plain SHA-512, modern apps should use argon2 or bcrypt.
Blockchain & Certificates
Used in certificate chains, DNSSEC signatures, and some blockchain protocols requiring higher security margins than SHA-256.
Content Deduplication
Hash file content to create unique identifiers—files with identical hashes are duplicates, enabling storage optimization without full file comparison.
Compliance & Auditing
FIPS 140-2 and HIPAA compliance often require SHA-256 or SHA-512 for data integrity validation in regulated environments.
Limitations & Important Notes
SHA-512 is cryptographically secure for integrity verification and signatures, but like SHA-256, **DO NOT use raw SHA-512 for password hashing**—it's too fast (attackers compute billions of hashes/second with GPUs). Always use bcrypt, argon2, or PBKDF2 for passwords. These add salting and computational cost (key stretching) that slow down brute-force attacks. SHA-512 is deterministic: same input always produces same output. This is perfect for verification but dangerous for passwords without unique salts. For API authentication, use HMAC-SHA512 (hash with secret key), not plain SHA-512, to prevent forgery attacks. Browser performance: files larger than ~100MB may cause memory issues or slowdowns—use command-line tools (shasum -a 512 on Mac/Linux, certutil on Windows) for bulk processing. SHA-512 produces longer hashes (128 hex chars vs SHA-256's 64), consuming more storage/bandwidth—switch to SHA-256 if size matters and security margin difference is acceptable. Length-extension attacks: plain SHA-512 (without HMAC) is vulnerable to attacks where attacker extends hash without knowing original data—use HMAC mode for signatures. Quantum computing: SHA-512's 256-bit collision resistance provides better quantum protection than SHA-256's 128-bit, but both are considered quantum-resistant for hashing (unlike RSA encryption). Compliance: verify your implementation is FIPS 140-2 certified if required for government/military applications.