What Is the SHA-256 Hash of "hello"?
The SHA-256 hash of "hello" is 2cf24dba5fb0a30e26e83b2ac5b9e29e1b161e5c1fa7425e73043362938b9824. This is a 64-character hexadecimal string representing 256 bits. Note that "Hello" (capitalized) produces a completely different hash due to SHA-256's avalanche effect, where even a single bit change in input completely changes the output.
Verify It Yourself
Node.js
require('crypto').createHash('sha256').update('hello').digest('hex');
// "2cf24dba5fb0a30e26e83b2ac5b9e29e1b161e5c1fa7425e73043362938b9824"Python
import hashlib
hashlib.sha256(b'hello').hexdigest()
# '2cf24dba5fb0a30e26e83b2ac5b9e29e1b161e5c1fa7425e73043362938b9824'Bash
echo -n 'hello' | sha256sum
# 2cf24dba5fb0a30e26e83b2ac5b9e29e1b161e5c1fa7425e73043362938b9824 -SHA-256 Key Properties
- Output size: 256 bits (64 hex characters)
- Deterministic: same input always produces the same hash
- Avalanche effect: changing one bit changes ~50% of output bits
- Collision resistant: no known practical collisions
- One-way: cannot be reversed mathematically
Try It Yourself
Use our SHA-256 Hash Generator to hash any string instantly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is SHA-256 case sensitive?
Yes. SHA-256 hashes the exact bytes of the input. "hello" and "Hello" produce entirely different 256-bit hashes due to the avalanche effect.
Can SHA-256 be reversed?
No. SHA-256 is a one-way function. Common inputs like "hello" can be found via rainbow tables, which is why you should never use plain SHA-256 for passwords -- use bcrypt or Argon2 instead.