Encryption & Decryption Tool
Supports MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, Base64 and other common encryption algorithms.
Text Encryption
Base64 Encode / Decode
URL Encode / Decode
Common Use Cases
- Verify file integrity by comparing MD5/SHA checksums
- Quickly generate hashes for password storage or data validation
- Base64 encoding for transmitting special characters in HTTP headers
- URL encoding for handling special characters in query parameters
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between MD5 and SHA?
MD5 produces a 128-bit (32 character) hash, while SHA-256 produces a 256-bit (64 character) hash. SHA is more secure with lower collision probability. MD5 is no longer recommended for security purposes but is still widely used for file verification.
Is Base64 encryption?
No. Base64 is an encoding method, not an encryption algorithm. It converts binary data to ASCII text format for easy transmission over text protocols, but anyone can easily decode it. Don't use Base64 to protect sensitive data.
Why does URL need encoding?
URLs only allow a limited character set (letters, numbers, hyphens, etc.). Chinese, spaces, and special characters need percent-encoding (URL encoding) to be safely transmitted, otherwise URL parsing errors may occur.
Encryption vs Encoding
Encryption converts plaintext to ciphertext using a key. Common symmetric algorithms include AES and DES; asymmetric algorithms include RSA. The purpose of encryption is to protect data confidentiality.
Encoding converts data to a specific format without requiring a key. Base64, URL encoding, and Hex encoding are all types of encoding. The purpose of encoding is to facilitate data transmission between different systems.