What Is the SHA-256 Hash of "bar"?
The SHA-256 hash of "bar" is fcde2b2edba56bf408601fb721fe9b5c338d10ee429ea04fae5511b68fbf8fb9. This is a 64-character hexadecimal string representing 256 bits. Even a single-character change to the input produces a completely different hash due to the avalanche effect.
About SHA-256
SHA-256 is part of the SHA-2 family, producing a 256-bit (64-character hex) hash. It is widely used in TLS/SSL, Bitcoin mining, code signing, and data integrity verification. SHA-256 has no known practical attacks and remains the recommended general-purpose hash function. Each bit change in the input causes roughly 50% of the output bits to flip (the avalanche effect).
How SHA-256 Computes This Hash
- Pad the message to a multiple of 512 bits (append 1 bit, zeros, then 64-bit length)
- Initialize eight 32-bit state variables (h0-h7) from the fractional parts of the square roots of the first 8 primes
- Expand each 512-bit block into 64 32-bit words using sigma functions
- Process through 64 rounds using Ch, Maj, and two sigma functions with round constants derived from cube roots of the first 64 primes
- After all blocks, concatenate h0-h7 to produce the 256-bit digest
Hash Details
| Input | bar |
| Algorithm | SHA-256 |
| Hash (hex) | fcde2b2edba56bf408601fb721fe9b5c338d10ee429ea04fae5511b68fbf8fb9 |
| Character count | 64 hex characters |
| Bit length | 256 bits |
Security note: While SHA-256 is secure for data integrity and checksums, never use plain SHA-256 for password hashing. Passwords should be hashed with bcrypt, Argon2, or scrypt, which include salting and key stretching.
Common password alert: "bar" appears in virtually every common password list and breach database. If this hash appears in your system, the associated account is trivially compromised via rainbow table lookup.
Verify It Yourself
JavaScript (Node.js)
require('crypto').createHash('sha256').update('bar').digest('hex');
// "fcde2b2edba56bf408601fb721fe9b5c338d10ee429ea04fae5511b68fbf8fb9"Python
import hashlib
hashlib.sha256(b'bar').hexdigest()
# 'fcde2b2edba56bf408601fb721fe9b5c338d10ee429ea04fae5511b68fbf8fb9'Bash
echo -n 'bar' | sha256sum
# fcde2b2edba56bf408601fb721fe9b5c338d10ee429ea04fae5511b68fbf8fb9 -Try It Yourself
Use our SHA-256 Hash Generator to hash any string instantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SHA-256 safe to use in 2026?
SHA-256 remains cryptographically secure with no known practical attacks. It is safe for data integrity, digital signatures, and checksums. For password hashing, use bcrypt or Argon2 instead.
Can I reverse a SHA-256 hash?
No. SHA-256 is a one-way function. Common inputs like "bar" can be found via rainbow tables, which is why you should never use plain SHA-256 for passwords -- use bcrypt or Argon2 instead.
What is the avalanche effect?
The avalanche effect means that a tiny change in the input (even one bit) causes roughly 50% of the output bits to change. This makes it impossible to predict the hash of a similar input from a known hash.