MD5 vs. SHA-256
When to use MD5 versus SHA-256 for checksums and hashing.
A
MD5
Pros
- ✓ Fast
- ✓ Widely supported and available
- ✓ Produces a shorter 128-bit hash
- ✓ Good for non-security checksums
Cons
- ✗ Cryptographically broken — collision attacks are practical
- ✗ Should never be used for password hashing
- ✗ Not accepted by modern security standards
BEST FOR
Non-security file integrity checks, cache keys, database record fingerprints — where performance matters and security does not
B
SHA-256
Pros
- ✓ Cryptographically secure (no known practical attacks)
- ✓ Part of the SHA-2 family, accepted everywhere
- ✓ Produces a 256-bit hash
- ✓ Standard for modern security applications
Cons
- ✗ Slower than MD5 (still very fast in practice)
- ✗ Longer hash string (64 hex chars vs 32)
- ✗ Not suitable for password hashing alone — need bcrypt/Argon2
BEST FOR
Digital signatures, TLS certificates, blockchain, data integrity in security contexts, HMAC tokens
Verdict
Never use MD5 for security purposes. For checksums where security is irrelevant, MD5 is fine. For anything security-related, use SHA-256 or higher. For passwords, use bcrypt or Argon2 — neither MD5 nor SHA-256 is appropriate.
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