SHA-256
SHA-256 is a cryptographic hash function that takes an input (message) and produces a fixed-size 256-bit (32-byte) hash value, typically represented as a 64-character hexadecimal string. It is part of the SHA-2 family designed by the NSA and is widely used for data integrity verification, digital signatures, and security applications like blockchain. The algorithm is deterministic, meaning the same input always yields the same hash, and it is designed to be computationally infeasible to reverse or find collisions.
Developers should learn SHA-256 when working on security-critical systems, such as password hashing (with salting), verifying file integrity, implementing digital signatures, or building blockchain and cryptocurrency applications like Bitcoin. It provides a robust way to ensure data has not been tampered with and is essential for compliance with security standards in industries like finance and healthcare. Understanding SHA-256 is also key for roles involving cryptography, cybersecurity, or distributed systems.