About cryptographic hashes
A cryptographic hash function takes any input and produces a fixed-length string of hexadecimal digits. Even a tiny change in the input completely changes the output. This makes hashes useful for verifying file integrity, storing passwords and digital signatures.
SHA-256 and SHA-512 are part of the SHA-2 family and remain secure for most uses today. SHA-1 is considered weak against collision attacks and is included here for compatibility and legacy purposes only. MD5 is not available in this tool because browser security policies restrict it through the Web Crypto API.