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SHA-3-256

Recommended

SHA-3-256 is part of the SHA-3 family based on the Keccak algorithm, selected through a NIST competition in 2012. It provides a fundamentally different design from SHA-2, offering an alternative if SHA-2 is ever compromised.

What is SHA-3-256?

SHA-3-256 is a recommended cryptographic hash algorithm that produces a 256 bits (64 hex characters) output. SHA-3-256 is part of the SHA-3 family based on the Keccak algorithm, selected through a NIST competition in 2012. It provides a fundamentally different design from SHA-2, offering an alternative if SHA-2 is ever compromised. It is classified as medium in performance and commonly used for post-quantum cryptography preparedness and environments requiring diversified hash algorithms.

Output Length

256 bits (64 hex characters)

Speed

Medium

Security

Recommended

Performance

Moderate speed — slower than SHA-256 in software but faster in hardware implementations. Designed as a SHA-2 backup.

Use Cases

Example Hash

Input:

Hello, World!

SHA-3-256 Output:

1af17a664e3fa8e419b8ba05c2a173169df76162a5a286e0c405b460d478f7ef

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Related Algorithms

SHA-256 Recommended
256 bits (64 hex characters)
SHA-3-512 Recommended
512 bits (128 hex characters)
BLAKE3 Recommended
Configurable, default 256 bits (64 hex characters)

Related Reading

SHA-256 vs SHA-512 vs MD5: Hash Algorithm Comparison → How to Create a Strong Password in 2026 → What Is JWT and How It Works →