Base64 Generator and SHA1, MD5 Generator

Generate Base64, MD5, and SHA1 of Any String

Encoding converts any text into some particular form. The online encoder by DNS Checker works as

• MD5 Generator: Generates the Message-Digest Algorithm string of any text or password.
• SHA1 Generator: Generates the SHA1 string of any text or password.
• Base64 Generator: Generates the Base64 encoded string of any text or password.

How to use the online encoder to generate Base64, MD5, and SHA1 encrypted form of a string?

To generate a string's Base64, MD5, and SHA1, perform the following steps.

• Open the Online Encoder - Base64, MD5, and SHA1 Generator.
• Enter any string, text, or password in the space provided for that section, and click on the "Generate" button.
• The tool gives you the provided text's Base64, MD5, and SHA1 encrypted forms.

What is a Hash function?

Many applications or technologies use that technique to avoid security breaches and for faster search results.

Hashing is a cryptographic function that takes an input of variable length and returns a fixed-size alphanumeric string. The string is the hash value, message digest, digital fingerprint, digest, or checksum.

Fundamentals of Hashing

• The Hash functions are one-way. We cannot reverse a hash value to recover the original content, which means it is irreversible.
• Moving the same content through the same hash function should produce the same output or hash value. That means the hash functions' output is of fixed length and can alter depending upon the hash function you use, but the hash's length would not change for a specific hash function.

So, there are two required rules that each hash function must follow.

1. The original content is not derivable from the hash value or message digest.
2. The two different contents cannot have the same message digest.

Use cases of Hashing

• Generate passwords to store them for later use in the authentication of users in databases.
• To keep the credit card numbers and other essential data in databases
• In creating digital signatures and message verification codes
• Indexing data in hash tables
• Detecting copied data
• For fingerprinting
• To sort and identify files to ensure the data integrity of the files
• Act as checksums in detecting accidental data corruption

SHA1 Hash

SHA stands for Secure Hashing Algorithm. SHA1 hash is an algorithm that generates the 160 bits' hash value.

SHA is generated by breaking our input content into the "n'' number of parts that we represent as X, each of 448 bits, and adding 64 bits of padding to each, converting their total length to 512 bits. These 512 bits are then brought in the compression function and the 160 bits of compressed output. We have a pre-set value for the 160 bits for the first time we carry this out.

That process continues for "n" times until the last 160 bits of the message are produced.

Undoubtedly, the SHA1 algorithm is complex, but the significant part is that it is not used anymore because it has been cracked and is considered unsafe.

MD5 Hash

MD5 stands for Message-Digest Algorithm 5. Ronald Rivest invented that cryptographic function in 1991.

The primary function of MD5 is to calculate the hash value in cryptography. It inputs the data block and returns the fixed-size bit string as a hash value.

MD5 follows the same rules as the hash algorithm. It takes the data of any size as input and gives you a fixed size 128 bits (16 bytes) output.

MD5 is irreversible. Suppose we use the MD5 algorithm on text data of about 750,000 characters. But the final output is 32 digits digest. So, how can we ensure the accuracy of the 32 digits digests being converted to 750,000 characters? That's the reason MD5 does not have a reversible function.

The drawback is that MD5 is already cracked, and it is recommended to refrain from using it with sensitive data like banking or e-commerce.

Base64 Encoding

Base64 is a binary to ASCII encoding scheme that stores and transfers the binary data over medium, supporting only textual data. The encoding scheme uses the 64 characters set that are present in the majority of the character sets.

In Base64, the data are broken down into 24 bits (three bytes). These three bytes (24 bits) are further broken into four packs of six bits each. These 6 bits reveal the character supported by the characters set in the base 64 scheme.

Unlike MD5 and SHA1, you can decode the Base64 encoded text with the base64 decoder and decode the image from the Base64 encoded string with the base64 image decoder.

What is the main difference between base64 encoding and hashing (SHA1, MD5)?

 

Base64	Hashing (SHA1, MD5)
Base64 encoding is reversible.	Hashing is a one-way process.
The length of a Base64 encoded string varies.	The length of SHA1 and MD5 hashes are fixed (20 bytes for SHA1 and 16 bytes for MD5)
Base64 encoding is used to represent binary data in an ASCII string format, allowing it to be easily transmitted over text-based systems, such as email or HTML.	Hashing is a one-way process that generates a fixed-length string of characters or digits from input data, such as a password, a message, or a file. The generated hash value is unique to the input data.
The encoded data can be decoded back to its original binary form, meaning that base64 encoding is unsuitable for data security purposes.	It is not designed to reverse back to the original data, which makes it suitable for data security purposes, such as password storage, digital signatures, or data integrity checking. Hashing algorithms, such as SHA1 or MD5, are designed to be cryptographically secure and irreversible.

 

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