BLAKE2b Hash Generator
Generate BLAKE2b-256 and BLAKE2b-512 hashes from text. Faster than SHA-256 with equivalent security. Supports keyed hashing.
BLAKE2b Hash
Enter text and click Generate to create a BLAKE2b hash
Other Hash Algorithms
What is BLAKE2b?
BLAKE2b is a cryptographic hash function designed by Jean-Philippe Aumasson, Samuel Neves, Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn, and Christian Winnerlein. Published in 2012, it is an improved version of BLAKE (a SHA-3 finalist) optimized for 64-bit platforms.
BLAKE2b is faster than MD5, SHA-1, SHA-2, and SHA-3 while providing security equivalent to SHA-3. It supports variable output lengths (1-64 bytes), built-in keying, salting, and personalization — features that normally require HMAC or KDF wrappers with other hash functions.
How BLAKE2b Works
BLAKE2b uses a modified ChaCha stream cipher core as its compression function, processing data in 128-byte blocks. It maintains a 512-bit state (eight 64-bit words) initialized with IV values XORed with parameter configuration. The compression function performs 12 rounds of the G mixing function.
BLAKE2b-256
64 hex chars (256 bits)
BLAKE2b-512
128 hex chars (512 bits)
Status
✓ Secure
Common Use Cases
- Internal hash function in Argon2 password hashing
- WireGuard VPN protocol
- libsodium's generic hashing and key derivation
- Cryptocurrency projects (Zcash, Siacoin, Nano)
- High-performance file checksumming
- Noise protocol framework
Security Considerations
BLAKE2b has no known security vulnerabilities. It provides full collision resistance up to its output length. The reduced-round variant BLAKE2b-1 has been analyzed, and the full 12-round version has a significant security margin. BLAKE2 builds on BLAKE, which was extensively analyzed during the SHA-3 competition.
BLAKE2b vs Other Algorithms
| Feature | BLAKE2b | SHA-256 | SHA3-256 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed (software) | Fastest | Fast | Slower |
| Built-in keying | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Variable output | ✓ 1-64 bytes | ✗ Fixed | ✓ SHAKE |
| NIST standard | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Web Crypto API | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✗ No |