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SHA224 Hash Generator

Calculate SHA-224 hashes instantly online. Supports UTF-8, UTF-16, Hex, and Base64 input encodings. Enable HMAC-SHA224 with a secret key for message authentication.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is SHA-224?
SHA-224 is a 224-bit truncation of SHA-256 from the SHA-2 family. It uses a different set of initial hash values and truncates the final state to produce a 56 hex character output. It was added to FIPS 180-2 in 2004 as a complement to the 224-bit DSA variant.
SHA-224 vs SHA-256 — which should I use?
SHA-256 is preferred in most cases due to broader support and slightly more collision resistance. Use SHA-224 when your protocol specifically requires a 224-bit output — for example, certain TLS cipher suites paired with P-224 elliptic curves or DSA-2048/224.
How secure is SHA-224?
SHA-224 provides 112 bits of collision resistance and 224 bits of preimage resistance. NIST considers 112-bit security acceptable through 2030. No practical attacks against SHA-224 are known.
Does SHA-224 support HMAC?
Yes. HMAC-SHA224 is defined in RFC 4231. Enable the HMAC toggle above and enter your secret key to compute HMAC-SHA224 values.

About SHA224 Hash Generator

SHA-224 is a cryptographic hash function from the SHA-2 family, producing a 224-bit (56-character hexadecimal) digest. It was introduced in a change notice to FIPS 180-2 in 2004 and is standardized in FIPS 180-4. SHA-224 is computed identically to SHA-256 but uses a different set of initial hash values derived from the square roots of the 9th through 16th prime numbers, and the final 256-bit state is truncated by discarding the last 32 bits.

When to Use SHA-224

SHA-224 is used when a protocol or standard specifically requires a 224-bit output. Common scenarios include TLS cipher suites using the P-224 elliptic curve, Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) with 2048-bit modulus and 224-bit subgroup, and certain certificate formats that require matching hash and key sizes. For general-purpose hashing where the output size is not constrained, SHA-256 is recommended as it has wider library and hardware support.

SHA-224 vs SHA-256

The key difference is output size: SHA-224 produces 224 bits (56 hex characters) while SHA-256 produces 256 bits (64 hex characters). Both share the same internal Merkle-Damgård construction and the same round function. SHA-224 cannot be derived from a SHA-256 hash — they use different initialization constants and produce independent outputs.

HMAC-SHA224

HMAC-SHA224 is defined in RFC 4231 alongside HMAC-SHA256, HMAC-SHA384, and HMAC-SHA512. It produces a 224-bit authentication code from a message and a secret key. Use cases include message authentication in protocols that pair with 224-bit key material. Enable the HMAC toggle in the Settings panel and enter your secret key to compute HMAC-SHA224 values.

Security of SHA-224

SHA-224 provides 112 bits of collision resistance. NIST guidelines (SP 800-57) consider 112-bit security acceptable for protecting data through 2030. No practical collision or preimage attacks against SHA-224 are known. If you are choosing between SHA-224 and SHA-256 for a new system, SHA-256 is generally preferred for its longer-term security margin and wider adoption.