Guide

Create hashes

Generate MD5, SHA and other digests.

The API can generate a cryptographic digest (checksum) of any file by converting it to a hash target. This is useful for verifying file integrity, deduplication, and fingerprinting. Each algorithm is exposed as its own target under the hash category.

How it works

Submit a job whose conversion targets the hash category with the algorithm you want as the target. The API reads your input file, computes the digest, and returns it as the result.

Example: hash a remote file with SHA256

Point the API at a publicly reachable file and request the sha256 target.

{
  "input": [
    {
      "type": "remote",
      "source": "https://example-files.online-convert.com/archive/zip/example.zip"
    }
  ],
  "conversion": [
    {
      "category": "hash",
      "target": "sha256"
    }
  ]
}

Create the job by POSTing the payload (authenticate with the lowercase x-oc-api-key header):

curl -X POST https://api.api2convert.com/v2/jobs \
  -H "x-oc-api-key: <your-api-key>" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d @job.json

Common algorithms

The most frequently used hash targets are MD5, SHA1, SHA256, SHA384 and SHA512. Also available are CRC32, ADLER32, RIPEMD160, WHIRLPOOL and BLOWFISH. To switch algorithm, just change the target value:

{
  "conversion": [
    {
      "category": "hash",
      "target": "md5"
    }
  ]
}
Target Algorithm Typical use
md5 MD5 Fast (legacy/insecure) checksums, deduplication
sha1 SHA1 Legacy integrity checks
sha256 SHA256 General-purpose integrity and fingerprinting
sha512 SHA512 Longer digest for stronger collision resistance
crc32 CRC32 Quick error-detection checksums

This is only a selection. Browse the Formats Explorer for the complete list of supported hash targets.

Hashing is a one-way operation: a digest fingerprints a file for integrity checks and comparison, but the original file cannot be reconstructed from the hash. Use it to verify or identify content, not to encrypt or store recoverable data.

Live options

Pick a hash algorithm to see its live options (including hmac for keyed hashing) and a copyable request:

Loading options…