Quick Reference: Common Hash Algorithms Explained

Hash algorithms turn input into a fixed-length fingerprint. MD5 and SHA-1 are deprecated for security; SHA-256 is the go-to for checksums and many APIs. We summarize each and when to use or avoid them. Generate hashes for any of these algorithms in the browser. Try the free tool on [Buggable.dev](https://buggable.dev) for quick, client-side results.