What is Hashing? Simplified
What is Hashing?
You might have heard of “hash browns” or even a cannabis product when someone mentions “hash”. But, in the world of digital money (cryptocurrencies), “hashing” has a totally different meaning. Let’s explore it.
Hashing in Simple Words
Imagine you have a magical box. Every time you put something into this box – be it a letter, a word, a whole book – it gives you back a special code. The unique thing is that no matter how big or small the thing you put in, the code you get back is always the same length. Also, even a tiny change to what you put in (like “Hello” to “hello”) will give you a completely different code!
This box is like our “hash function”, and the special code it gives out is a “hash”.
A Hash is Like a Unique Code
Think of it as a unique code for every item. Like every person has a unique fingerprint, every piece of data has its unique hash.
One-Way Street
Remember, the magical box only works one way. You can put something in and get the special code, but you can’t take that code and figure out the original item. So, if you only see the code (hash), you have no way to know what was originally put into the box.
What Makes a Good Magical Box (Hash Function)?
Good hash functions don’t give any clues about the original item. Whether you put in one letter or a whole book, the code it gives should look random and should not hint about the size or type of original item.
Popular Magical Boxes (Hash Functions)
- MD-5: Was once popular but is not safe anymore because some smart folks figured out how to reverse its magic.
- SHA: There are different types of SHA. The important one for Bitcoin is SHA-256, which gives out a code that’s 64 characters long, always!
To Wrap Up
Hashing is like creating a unique, fixed-length code for any item, no matter its size. This concept is foundational for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. So, next time you hear “hash”, think of this magical box, not breakfast or cannabis!
How Does Hashing Work? Simplified
Understanding Hashing:
Imagine you have a special blender. Whenever you put something inside – a letter, a sentence, or even an entire book – it gives you back a code made of numbers and letters. No matter how big or small the thing you put in is, the code you get out is always of the same length!
Hashing in Cryptocurrencies:
For things like Bitcoin, this blender gives a code that’s always 64 characters long. The secret recipe the blender uses to turn anything into this code is the “hash function”.
Making Sense of Strings and Hashes:
Think of “strings” as sentences. So, if our sentence (string) is:
“Hashing is fun!”
And we put it in our blender (hash function), we’d get out a random-looking code (hash).
Now, let’s make a tiny change to our sentence:
“Hashing is fun?”
Even with such a small change, the code we’d get from our blender would look completely different from the first one. This helps us easily spot even the tiniest changes!
One-Way Magic:
The amazing thing about our blender is that it only works one way. Once you have the code, you can’t figure out the original thing you put in. So, if someone gives you a code (hash), there’s no way for you to know the original sentence or item. You can’t un-blend it!
Consistent Length:
A cool feature is that the code’s length doesn’t change. Put in a word, get a 64-character code. Put in an entire Harry Potter book, and you’d still get a 64-character code. But remember, change even a letter in that book, and the code will be totally different!
In Summary:
Hashing is like using a magic blender to turn anything into a unique code. It’s used in digital currencies to keep things secure and spot changes easily. And just as you can’t un-blend a smoothie, you can’t reverse a hash to see the original content. Neat, right?
Why Do We Use Hashing?
Imagine you have a secret recipe that turns any ingredient into a unique color. No two ingredients give the same color, and each time you use the same ingredient, you get the same color. That’s how hashing works! It’s a way to turn information into a unique code (or ‘color’).
Hashing for Messages: A Lunch Date Example
Suppose we’re meeting for lunch, and I recall our last hangout… you smelled a bit… off. 😅
So, I want to send you a gentle reminder: “Please wear deodorant.”
I put this message into our special recipe machine (a hash function) and out comes a unique color code:
33ebb5…f3bc1ef
I send you this color code first.
Next, I send the message.
When you get it, you’re shocked! “Did he really just send that?”
To be sure, you put my message into your recipe machine. If the color matches the one I sent first, you know:
- My message reached you as I sent it.
- Maybe you should reconsider your deodorant choice.
The machines ensure no one tampered with our chat.
Hashing in Everyday Life: Email Passwords
When you sign up for email, the platform doesn’t save your actual password. Instead, they put it in the recipe machine and save the unique color.
When you log in, they check the color your password makes. If it matches their records, you’re in!
Why Not Save Actual Passwords?
Imagine a cookie jar with all the real passwords. If someone sneaks in and grabs the cookies, they’ll know everyone’s secrets!
Instead, if we save the unique colors from our recipe, the thief would just see colors, not the actual passwords. Even if they try to reverse-engineer the colors, they can’t get the original ingredient (your password).
So, hashing helps keep your info a secret. Even if a naughty person sneaks into the email system, they only see color codes, not your real password.
In short, hashing is a fancy chef that turns any info into a unique, secret color. And even if someone sees that color, they can’t figure out the original ingredient. It’s a clever way to keep data safe and secret!