SHA-224 Hash Code Calculator

SHA-224 (Secure Hash Algorithm 224-bit) is a cryptographic hash function that takes an input (or message) and produces a fixed-size, 224-bit (28-byte) output, commonly represented as a 56-character hexadecimal number. It belongs to the SHA-2 family of hash functions, designed by the NSA. It is really a truncated version of SHA-256 with different initialization values, intended for use cases where speed and space efficiency are more critical than maximum security, for example embedded systems. SHA-224 is still considered secure, though, just slightly less so than SHA-256.

Full disclosure: I did not write the specific implementation of the hash function used on this page. It is a standard function included with the PHP programming language. I only made the web interface to make it publicly available here for convenience.

About the SHA-224 Hash Algorithm

I'm not particularly good at math and by no means consider myself a mathematician, so I'll try to explain this hash function in a way that my fellow non-mathematicians can understand. If you prefer the scientifically correct math-version, I'm sure you can find that on plenty of other websites ;-)

Anyway, let's imagine that the hash function is a super high-tech blender designed to create a unique smoothie from any ingredients you put into it. This takes four steps, the three first of which are identical to SHA-256:

Step 1: Put in Ingredients (Input)

• Think of the input as anything you want to blend: bananas, strawberries, pizza slices, or even a whole book. It doesn't matter what you put in - big or small, simple or complex.

Step 2: Blending Process (The Hash Function)

• You press the button, and the blender goes wild - chopping, mixing, spinning at crazy speeds. It has a special recipe inside that no one can change.
• This recipe includes crazy rules like: "Spin left, spin right, flip upside down, shake, chop in weird ways." All of this happens behind the scenes.

Step 3: You Get a Smoothie (Output):

• No matter what ingredients you used, the blender always gives you exactly one cup of smoothie (that's the fixed size of 256 bits in SHA-256).
• The smoothie has a unique flavor and color based on the ingredients you put in. Even if you just change one tiny thing - like adding one grain of sugar - the smoothie will taste completely different.

Step 4: Truncate

• The final output is truncated (cut off) to 224 bits, discarding the remaining 32 bits. This makes it more space efficient, but also slightly less secure. Still fine for file integrity checks and the like, but for signing of digital certificates and other use cases where security is important, SHA-256 is better.

Also check out my SHA-256 hash calculator here: SHA-256 Hash Code Calculator