Python's built-in hashlib module provides all standard hash algorithms: MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, and SHA-3. Generate hashes from strings and files with just a few lines of code. This guide covers all common patterns.
Python developers hashing files for integrity checks, implementing content-addressable storage, creating cache keys, verifying downloads in scripts, and building data pipelines with deduplication.
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How to Generate Hash in Python — hashlib Complete Guide
- Import: import hashlib
- Hash string: hashlib.sha256(text.encode("utf-8")).hexdigest()
- Hash file: read in chunks and update the hash object iteratively
- Available algorithms: hashlib.algorithms_available
- For HMAC: use hmac module with hashlib
- Verify by comparing hexdigest() output with expected hash
Pro Tips
- Always encode strings to bytes first: .encode("utf-8") before hashing
- For large files: read in 4096-byte chunks and call .update() iteratively
- hashlib.sha256() creates a new hash object — call .hexdigest() for hex output
- Python 3.6+ supports SHA-3: hashlib.sha3_256(), hashlib.sha3_512()
Frequently Asked Questions
How to hash a string in Python?
import hashlib; h = hashlib.sha256("hello".encode("utf-8")).hexdigest() gives you the SHA-256 hash as a hex string. Always .encode() strings to bytes first.
How to hash a file in Python?
Open with "rb", read in chunks: while chunk := f.read(4096): hasher.update(chunk). Then hasher.hexdigest(). This handles files of any size without loading entirely into memory.
What hash algorithms does Python support?
All standard ones via hashlib: md5, sha1, sha224, sha256, sha384, sha512, sha3_256, sha3_512, blake2b, blake2s. Check hashlib.algorithms_available for your system.
How to compare file hashes in Python?
Generate the hash with hashlib, then compare the hexdigest() string with the expected value using == operator. Use hmac.compare_digest() for timing-safe comparison in security contexts.
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