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SHA256 Comparison How SHA-256 compares to other cryptographic hash functions.
Quick Comparison Table Hash Function Output Size Speed Security Use Case SHA-256 32 bytes Fast 256-bit General purpose, Bitcoin Keccak-256 32 bytes Medium 256-bit Ethereum Blake2b 1-64 bytes Very Fast 512-bit High performance RIPEMD-160 20 bytes Medium 160-bit Bitcoin addresses SHA-512 64 bytes Fast 512-bit Higher security
SHA-256 vs Keccak-256 SHA-256:
NIST standard (FIPS 180-4)
Hardware acceleration widely available
Bitcoin, TLS/SSL, certificates
3200 MB/s with SHA-NI
Keccak-256:
SHA-3 variant (original Keccak)
Used in Ethereum
Different padding than SHA-3
1800 MB/s with optimizations
When to use SHA-256:
Bitcoin applications
General cryptography
Regulatory compliance required
Hardware acceleration important
When to use Keccak-256:
Ethereum smart contracts
EVM compatibility required
Address/topic calculation
SHA-256 vs Blake2 SHA-256:
Older, more established (2001)
NIST standardized
Hardware acceleration (SHA-NI)
3200 MB/s accelerated, 500 MB/s software
Blake2:
Newer design (2012)
Faster in software (700 MB/s)
Variable output length
Not NIST standardized
When to use SHA-256:
Regulatory compliance needed
Hardware acceleration available
Standard conformance required
When to use Blake2:
Maximum software performance
Variable output length needed
No compliance requirements
SHA-256 vs SHA-512 Both are SHA-2 family members.
SHA-256:
32-byte output
Optimized for 32-bit platforms
More common in protocols
SHA-512:
64-byte output
Faster on 64-bit platforms
Higher theoretical security
Performance (64-bit CPU with acceleration):
SHA-256: 3200 MB/s
SHA-512: 3400 MB/s (slightly faster!)
When to use SHA-256:
Standard 256-bit security sufficient
Smaller output preferred
Protocol specifies SHA-256
When to use SHA-512:
512-bit security required
64-bit platform
Larger output acceptable
Security Comparison Hash Collision Preimage Status SHA-256 2^128 2^256 ✅ Secure Keccak-256 2^128 2^256 ✅ Secure Blake2b 2^256 2^512 ✅ Secure SHA-1 Broken 2^160 ❌ Deprecated MD5 Broken Broken ❌ Insecure
All modern hash functions (SHA-256, Keccak-256, Blake2) provide adequate security.
Migration Guide From MD5/SHA-1 // OLD (INSECURE) import crypto from 'crypto' ; const oldHash = crypto . createHash ( 'md5' ). update ( data ). digest (); // NEW (SECURE) import { SHA256 } from '@tevm/voltaire/SHA256' ; const newHash = SHA256 . hash ( data );
Choosing the Right Hash Use SHA-256 when:
✅ Bitcoin/blockchain applications
✅ Digital signatures
✅ Certificate fingerprints
✅ Regulatory compliance required
✅ Hardware acceleration available
Use Keccak-256 when:
✅ Ethereum smart contracts
✅ EVM compatibility needed
Use Blake2 when:
✅ Maximum performance in software
✅ Variable output length needed
✅ No regulatory requirements
See Also 
