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SHA-256 & the avalanche effect

Hash any text live and watch the digest change completely when you edit a single character.

Type into both boxes and watch the digests below — real SHA-256, computed live in your browser via the Web Crypto API.

SHA-256(A)

SHA-256(B)

Avalanche effect

About 0% of the output bits differ between these two digests, even though the inputs above may differ by only a character or two. That's the avalanche effect: a well-designed hash function makes the output unpredictable from the input, one bit at a time.