Understanding SHA-256 Algorithm: Discover Top Minable Coins! from Crypto Miner Bros's blog

SHA-256, which stands for Secure Hash Algorithm, is a cryptographic hash function that converts any input data to a fixed alphanumeric string of 256 bits. Developed by the U.S. Government’s National Security Agency (NSA), SHA-256 is the most preferred cryptographic hash function for data security.

The hashing algorithm is considered highly secure as it generates unique and irreversible hash values. Thus, it is the most preferred security mechanism that is widely used in various security applications like digital signatures, password authentication, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, etc.

What is SHA-256?

The Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-256) is the most used hashing algorithm in cryptographic security. The algorithm processes the input data through a refined mathematical function, generating a unique output hash of a fixed size of 256 bits. The output hash is used as a digital signature as it depicts the original data.
The National Security Agency (NSA) in the United States introduced SHA-256 in 2001 as a successor to the SHA-1, which was vulnerable to attacks. Since the SHA-256 produces a fixed string of characters regardless of the input data, it is highly secure. For instance, the SHA-256 generates a hash of 256 bits long, making it computationally challenging for anyone to retrieve the original input from the hash value, keeping the data integrity intact.