Security5 min read

SHA-256 vs SHA-512 — Which Should You Use?

Both SHA-256 and SHA-512 are secure hashing algorithms but they have different use cases, performance characteristics, and output sizes.

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Quick Comparison

PropertySHA-256SHA-512
Output size256 bits (64 hex chars)512 bits (128 hex chars)
Speed (32-bit)FasterSlower
Speed (64-bit)FastFaster than SHA-256
SecurityVery secureSlightly more secure
Common useTLS, Bitcoin, generalPassword hashing, signatures

SHA-256 example output

SHA-256("hello") =
2cf24dba5fb0a30e26e83b2ac5b9e29e1b161e5c1fa7425e73043362938b9824

SHA-512 example output

SHA-512("hello") =
9b71d224bd62f3785d96d46ad3ea3d73319bfbc2890caadae2dff72519673ca72323c3d99ba5c11d7c7acc6e14b8c5da0c4663475c2e5c3adef46f73bcdec043

When to use SHA-256

  • ✓SSL/TLS certificates
  • ✓Blockchain and cryptocurrency
  • ✓File integrity verification
  • ✓Digital signatures
  • ✓General purpose hashing on 32-bit systems

When to use SHA-512

  • ✓Password hashing (combined with salt)
  • ✓High security digital signatures
  • ✓64-bit systems where speed matters
  • ✓When longer hash output is required

Important — never use SHA for passwords alone

Neither SHA-256 nor SHA-512 should be used alone for password hashing. They are too fast — attackers can compute billions of hashes per second. Use bcrypt, Argon2, or scrypt for passwords instead.

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