Question 1

Is MD5 secure?

Accepted Answer

MD5 is cryptographically broken and not suitable for security purposes (like password hashing or digital signatures). It's still useful for data integrity checksums and non-security identifiers.

Question 2

Which algorithm should I use?

Accepted Answer

For security, use SHA-256 or SHA-512. For checksums and non-cryptographic purposes, SHA-256 is a good default. Avoid MD5 and SHA-1 for anything security-critical.

Question 3

Are SHA hashes computed in the browser?

Accepted Answer

Yes. SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512 use the browser's native Web Crypto API (crypto.subtle). MD5 uses a pure JavaScript implementation.

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