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PyHasher - User Manual

Welcome to PyHasher! This guide will help you understand all the application's features.

Table of Contents

  1. What is a Hash?
  2. Quick Start Guide
  3. Supported Algorithms
  4. Common Use Cases
  5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is a Hash?

A "hash" (or checksum) is like a digital fingerprint for a file. It's a fixed-length string of text generated by a mathematical algorithm. Even the smallest change to the file (like altering a single character) will produce a completely different hash.

This makes hashes extremely useful for:

  • Verifying Integrity: Ensuring a file has not been corrupted during a download or transfer.
  • Verifying Authenticity: Checking that a file is exactly what the creator intended to distribute, without any tampering.

2. Quick Start Guide

Using PyHasher is very simple:

  1. Launch the application.
  2. Select a File: Click the "Browse..." button. A dialog box will open for you to choose the file you want to analyze.
  3. Calculate Hashes: Once the file is selected, its path will appear in the text box. Click the "Calculate Hashes" button.
  4. View and Copy Results: The application will calculate and display all the hashes in their respective boxes. To copy a value, click inside the box, select the text with your mouse, and use Ctrl+C (or Cmd+C on Mac).

3. Supported Algorithms

PyHasher supports a wide range of algorithms, divided into two categories:

  • Checksums: Excellent for detecting accidental errors.

    • CRC32, Adler-32: Very fast and commonly used for data integrity checks (e.g., in ZIP files).

  • Cryptographic Hashes: Designed to be secure against intentional modifications.

    • MD5, SHA-1: Older algorithms. Useful for compatibility with legacy systems, but not recommended for modern security applications.
    • SHA-2 (256, 384, 512): The current industry standard for security, widely used worldwide.
    • SHA-3 (256): The newest official standard, designed as a secure alternative to the SHA-2 family.
    • BLAKE2b: A modern, extremely fast, and secure algorithm.

4. Common Use Cases

Case 1: Verifying a Software Download You've downloaded a program from the internet. The website provides an SHA-256 hash for the installation file.

  1. Use PyHasher to calculate the SHA-256 hash of the file you downloaded.
  2. Compare the result with the one published on the website.
  3. If the two hashes match, your download is perfect and has not been altered.

Case 2: Checking a Data Backup You have copied important files to an external drive. You want to be sure that the copy is identical to the original.

  1. Calculate the hashes (e.g., BLAKE2b) of the original files.
  2. Calculate the hashes of the files copied to the external drive.
  3. If the hashes match, the copy was successful and error-free.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: Why is the application slow with very large files? A: PyHasher must read the entire file content to calculate the hashes. For a multi-gigabyte file, this operation naturally takes time. However, the process is optimized to use very little RAM, so it will not freeze your computer.

Q: Can I hash an entire folder? A: No. The current version of PyHasher is designed to analyze single files only.

Q: Why are MD5 and SHA-1 included if they are considered insecure? A: They are kept for compatibility with older systems or software that may still use them. For any new security needs, we strongly recommend using SHA-256 or newer algorithms.