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Hash Algorithms

Definition

Hash algorithms are mathematical functions that convert an input of arbitrary length into a fixed-size string of characters, known as a hash value or digest. These functions are deterministic, meaning the same input always yields the same output, and are designed to be one-way, making it computationally impractical to reverse the process. They play a fundamental role in data integrity verification, digital signatures, and password storage. Minor changes to the input data result in drastically different hash outputs.