Hash Identifier & Analyzer
Identify and analyze hash types from hash strings. Supports MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2, SHA-3, bcrypt, Argon2, scrypt, PBKDF2, and more. Analyzes hash format, length, and characteristics to determine the most likely hashing algorithm used.
Supports MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2, SHA-3, BLAKE2/BLAKE3, bcrypt, Argon2, scrypt, PBKDF2 (raw & structured), HMAC variants, CRC32, RIPEMD-160, Whirlpool, and more
How Hash Identification Works
- • Length Analysis: Different algorithms produce different output lengths
- • Format Recognition: Structured hashes (bcrypt, Argon2, PBKDF2) have distinctive formats
- • Pattern Matching: Character patterns help distinguish between algorithms
- • Confidence Levels: Higher confidence when format is unique to one algorithm
- • Multiple Matches: Some lengths match multiple algorithms (disambiguation needed)
- • PBKDF2 Detection: Identifies both raw output and structured formats
Supported Hash Types
Simple Hashes:
- • MD5 (32 chars) - deprecated
- • SHA-1 (40 chars) - deprecated
- • SHA-224 (56 chars)
- • SHA-256 (64 chars)
- • SHA-384 (96 chars)
- • SHA-512 (128 chars)
- • SHA-3 / Keccak variants
- • RIPEMD-160 (40 chars)
Password Hashes:
- • bcrypt ($2a$, $2b$, $2y$)
- • Argon2 ($argon2i$, $argon2d$, $argon2id$)
- • scrypt ($scrypt$)
- • PBKDF2 structured (pbkdf2_*)
- • PBKDF2 raw output (all lengths)
- • HMAC variants
Modern Alternatives:
- • BLAKE2b (128 chars default)
- • BLAKE2s (64 chars default)
- • BLAKE3 (64 chars default)
- • Whirlpool (128 chars)
Checksums:
- • CRC32 (8 chars) - data integrity
- • Adler-32 (8 chars) - data integrity
- • Non-cryptographic verification
- • File integrity checking
🔍 PBKDF2 Detection Guide
Structured Format:
pbkdf2_sha256$600000$salt$hash✅ High confidence - contains all parameters
Raw Format:
dc6b010b812eff177de660a490f6f3156b81c9063c4a7eea114cb485090ef296⚠️ Low confidence - indistinguishable from other algorithms
Common PBKDF2 Key Lengths: 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 48, 64 bytes (32, 40, 48, 56, 64, 96, 128 hex chars)
Context Clues: Modern applications, authentication systems, password storage
Important Notes
- • Raw Hash Limitation: Cannot distinguish between algorithms with same output length
- • Deprecated Algorithms: MD5 and SHA-1 are cryptographically broken - avoid for new systems
- • PBKDF2 Raw Output: Looks identical to SHA-256, SHA-512, BLAKE variants, etc.
- • Context Matters: Use application context, file extensions, or documentation to confirm identification
- • Verification Method: Try PBKDF2 verification with known parameters to confirm
- • Modern Systems: If hash is from recent application, prefer modern algorithms over legacy ones
- • Security: Never attempt to reverse or crack hashes without proper authorization
Algorithm Categories & Use Cases
🔐 Password Hashing: Argon2, bcrypt, scrypt, PBKDF2 - designed to be slow and secure
🏃♂️ Fast Hashing: BLAKE2, BLAKE3 - modern, fast, secure alternatives to SHA-2
📊 Data Integrity: CRC32, Adler-32 - non-cryptographic checksums for error detection
🏛️ Legacy Systems: MD5, SHA-1, RIPEMD-160 - older algorithms, some deprecated
🔒 Cryptographic: SHA-2, SHA-3 - secure general-purpose cryptographic hashing
🔑 Key Derivation: HMAC variants, PBKDF2 - for generating keys from passwords/secrets
💡 Identification Tips
File Extensions: .md5, .sha1, .sha256 files often indicate the hash type
Application Context: Django uses PBKDF2, bcrypt common in Ruby, Argon2 in modern apps
Length Patterns: 8 chars = checksums, 32 = MD5/128-bit, 40 = SHA-1/160-bit, 64 = SHA-256/256-bit
Structured Formats: Look for $ delimiters in password hashes (bcrypt, Argon2, PBKDF2)
Performance Clues: Very fast generation suggests simple hash, slow suggests password hash
Modern Systems: Recent applications likely use SHA-2+, BLAKE variants, or proper password hashes
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