As a Python developer, I’m always on the lookout for effective ways to ensure data security. One powerful technique in my arsenal is hashing with salt. In today’s digital landscape, where sensitive information is at risk, it’s crucial to protect data from unauthorized access. In this blog post, I’m excited to share with you how to create a SHA256 hash of a string with salt in Python. This technique adds an extra layer of security by combining the strength of SHA256 hashing with the randomness of salt. So, let’s dive in and explore the world of secure data hashing in Python!
SHA-256 is (atleast when it was created) a standardized 1-way function that takes in data input of any form and maps it to a fixed-size output string, irrespective of the size of the input string.
A salt is a randomly generated string of characters that is used as an additional input to a one-way hash function. Salts are used to protect against dictionary attacks and rainbow table attacks.
The SHA-256 hash with salt is generated by concatenating the salt to the password and then hashing the resulting string. The salt is then appended to the generated hash to form the complete hash. This complete hash is then stored in the database. When a user attempts to login, the salt is retrieved from the database and used to generate a hash from the provided password. The generated hash is then compared to the hash stored in the database. If the two hashes match, the user is authenticated.
We can create an SHA256 hash of a string in Python without using an hash as well. In this article we will create a hash by using a salt.
The method below is for creating it in Python i.e., on the server side.
SHA-256 hash with salt in Python
SHA256 hash can be created using the python’s default module hashlib. There are many more hash functions defined in the hashlib library.
The process of creating an SHA256 hash in python is very simple. First import hashlib, then encode your string that you want to hash i.e., converts the string into the byte equivalent using encode(), then pass it through the hashlib.sha256() function. Here, we also concat the salt. We print the hexdigest value of the hash m, which is the hexadecimal equivalent encoded string.
Working code example-
import hashlib
text = 'Hello!'
salt = '80zzm081sr@nd0m'
m = hashlib.sha256(text.encode('UTF-8') + salt.encode('UTF-8'))
print(m.hexdigest())Output of the above code-
5163363675bb7266e6cb8f09b5e0434112a23b122c4cf4fd3b40da7c27ceca20The value you see here 5163363675bb7266e6cb8f09b5e0434112a23b122c4cf4fd3b40da7c27ceca20 is the SHA256 hash of the string Hello! with salt 80zzm081sr@nd0m.
The functions used in the above code-
- encode() : Converts the string into bytes to be acceptable by hash function.
- hexdigest() : Returns the encoded data in hexadecimal format.
As you see, the SHA256 hash of a string with salt using Python is as simple as this code.
In case you are looking to create SHA256 hash of a file or a blob check out the article.
Congratulations! You’ve now learned how to create a SHA256 hash of a string with salt in Python. This technique allows you to fortify your data security by adding an extra layer of complexity to the hashing process. By combining the cryptographic strength of SHA256 with the uniqueness of salt, you can better protect sensitive information from unauthorized access.
Remember, data security is a critical aspect of modern applications, and hashing with salt is an essential tool in your developer toolkit. With this newfound knowledge, you can confidently implement secure data storage and transmission in your Python projects. Keep exploring, keep learning, and most importantly, keep your data secure!
