Hash Function
A mathematical algorithm that converts data into a fixed-length string of characters. Secure hash functions are used to store passwords without keeping the plaintext.
A cryptographic hash function takes an input (like a password) and produces a fixed-length output (the hash) that is deterministic (same input → same output), fast to compute, but practically impossible to reverse. Common hash functions include SHA-256 and bcrypt.
Passwords should never be stored in plaintext. Instead, services store the hash of the password. When you log in, the service hashes your input and compares it to the stored hash. Even if the database is breached, attackers get hashes, not passwords.
Modern password hashing uses “salted” hashes (adding random data before hashing) and deliberately slow algorithms (bcrypt, scrypt, Argon2) to resist brute-force and rainbow table attacks.
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