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Hash

cryptographic digest

A fixed-length result computed from precisely specified input data.

Hash is the output of a hash function. Identical bytes and algorithm yield the same digest; cryptographic designs aim to make finding an input or different inputs with equal outputs difficult. It is not an encrypted copy.

Anyone can hash public data without a secret key. Matching a digest obtained through a trusted channel helps check integrity, but the hash alone identifies neither author nor truth. If an attacker replaces both file and digest, simple comparison does not establish origin. [NIST FIPS 180-4: Secure Hash Standard]

Preimage means finding an input for a specified digest; collision means finding any two different inputs sharing one digest. Finite output space means collisions exist; security rests on difficulty of finding them, not mathematical impossibility. Short or predictable inputs can be tested with a dictionary. [NIST FIPS 180-4: Secure Hash Standard]

Header hashes, txid and witness commitments are not interchangeable. They use specific serialization and constructions; other parts use HASH160 or tagged hashes. Hexadecimal text is only a representation: hashing hex characters instead of decoded bytes usually produces a different digest. [Bitcoin Core v29.0: hash constructions]

For the clearest picture, read this entry together with SHA-256, Proof of Work, Block header, Transaction, Merkle tree, Bitcoin. The reverse links also lead from SHA-256, Hashcash, Entropy mixing, BIP39 checksum.

DOC · 001NIST FIPS 180-4: Secure Hash StandardPrimaryDOC · 002Bitcoin Core v29.0: hash constructionsPrimary
Reviewed 1 August 2026Source-first · No investment advice