Whirlpool Hash Code Calculator

The Whirlpool hash function is a cryptographic hash function designed by Vincent Rijmen (one of the co-designers of AES) and Paulo S. L. M. Barreto. It was first introduced in 2000 and later revised in 2003 to improve security. Whirlpool is part of the ISO/IEC 10118-3 standard, making it suitable for a wide range of cryptographic applications. It generates a 512 bit (64 byte) hash code, typically represented as 128 hexadecimal characters.

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 Whirlpool Hash Algorithm

I'm not a mathematician nor a cryptographer, so I'll try to explain how this hash function works in layman's terms. If you prefer the scientifically precise, mathematics-heavy explanation, I'm sure you can find that on other websites ;-)

Anyway, imagine you’re making a smoothie with all sorts of ingredients: bananas, strawberries, spinach, peanut butter, etc. Here's what Whirlpool does to your ingredients (or data):

Step 1 - Chop Everything Up (Breaking the Data Into Pieces)

• First, it breaks your data into small chunks, like slicing fruits before blending.

Step 2 - Blend Like Crazy (Mixing It Up)

Now, it puts these chunks into a powerful blender with 10 different speeds (called "rounds"). Each round mixes the data in a different way:

• Swap and Flip (Substitution): Some pieces are swapped out for others, like changing a strawberry with a blueberry.
• Stir in Circles (Permutation): It spins the mixture around, shifting ingredients from one place to another so nothing stays in its original spot.
• Mash Everything Together (Mixing): It smashes and stirs to spread the flavors (or data) evenly throughout the mixture.
• Add a Secret Ingredient (Key Mixing): It sprinkles in a "secret ingredient" (a special code) to make the smoothie unique.

Step 3 - Final Result (The Hash)

• After 10 rounds of intense blending, you get a smooth, perfectly mixed drink - or in this case, a 512-bit hash. There’s no way to pull out the original bananas or spinach from the smoothie anymore. All you have is the final drink.