What is SHA-512?
SHA-512 is a member of the SHA-2 family and produces a 512-bit digest shown as 128 hexadecimal characters. It works like SHA-256 but uses 64-bit words and a larger internal state, which can make it faster than SHA-256 on modern 64-bit processors while giving a larger output. SHA-512 is used in TLS, digital signatures, integrity checking and password-hashing constructions, and is considered secure with no known practical attacks. Shorter variants such as SHA-512/224 and SHA-512/256 are built from the same core.
Secure & private: SHA-512 has no known practical attacks and runs entirely in your browser. For passwords, use a slow salted hash (Argon2/bcrypt) rather than raw SHA-512.
How SHA-512 works
SHA-512 uses the Merkle–Damgård construction with 64-bit words:
- Padding — the message is padded and its length appended to a multiple of 1024 bits.
- Blocks — it is split into 1024-bit blocks, each expanded into eighty 64-bit words.
- Compression — eight 64-bit working variables are updated over 80 rounds using bitwise functions, rotations and round constants from the cube roots of primes.
- Output — the final eight variables form 512 bits, shown as 128 hexadecimal characters.
How to use
- Type or paste your text into the input box.
- The SHA-512 hash is calculated automatically as you type.
- Choose your output encoding (Hex or Base64) if needed.
- Click Copy to copy the digest to your clipboard.
Examples
| Input | SHA-512 hash |
|---|---|
abc | ddaf35a193617abacc417349ae20413112e6fa4e89a97ea20a9eeee64b55d39a2192992a274fc1a836ba3c23a3feebbd454d4423643ce80e2a9ac94fa54ca49f |
hello | 9b71d224bd62f3785d96d46ad3ea3d73319bfbc2890caadae2dff72519673ca72323c3d99ba5c11d7c7acc6e14b8c5da0c4663475c2e5c3adef46f73bcdec043 |
(empty string) | cf83e1357eefb8bdf1542850d66d8007d620e4050b5715dc83f4a921d36ce9ce47d0d13c5d85f2b0ff8318d2877eec2f63b931bd47417a81a538327af927da3e |
Options explained
- Output encoding — Show the digest as lowercase or uppercase Hex, or as Base64.
- Input encoding — Choose how your text is read into bytes (UTF-8 by default; UTF-16, Hex, Base64 and other charsets).
- HMAC — Enable HMAC-SHA512 with a secret key for strong message authentication.
Common uses
- TLS and digital signatures requiring a larger, high-margin hash.
- File integrity for large files, often faster than SHA-256 on 64-bit systems.
- Password-hashing schemes (inside Argon2/bcrypt/PBKDF2, not raw).
- HMAC-SHA512 for API request signing and tokens.
Frequently asked questions
Is SHA-512 more secure than SHA-256?
Both are secure. SHA-512 has a larger output and is often faster on 64-bit hardware; choose based on your needs.
How long is a SHA-512 hash?
512 bits — 128 hexadecimal characters.
Can SHA-512 be reversed?
No, it is a one-way function.
Is SHA-512 good for storing passwords?
Only inside a slow, salted scheme such as Argon2 or bcrypt. Raw SHA-512 is too fast for password storage.