---
title: Introduction
description: Lightning-fast hash functions for browsers and Node.js using hand-tuned WebAssembly binaries.
---

# crypto-hasher

**crypto-hasher** is a high-performance hash function library for browsers and Node.js. Algorithms are compiled from heavily optimized C into modular WebAssembly binaries, so hashing is typically much faster than pure JavaScript implementations.

## Why crypto-hasher?

- **Fast** — hand-tuned WASM binaries outperform common JS / WASM hashing libraries (see [Benchmarks](/benchmarks))
- **Lightweight** — each algorithm ships as its own small WASM module (often only a few kilobytes gzipped)
- **Modular** — import only what you use; tree-shaking friendly
- **Universal** — works in modern browsers, Node.js, Deno, and Web Workers
- **Streaming** — process large data in chunks without loading everything into memory
- **Resumable** — save and restore hasher state across process boundaries
- **Typed** — includes TypeScript definitions
- **Zero dependencies** — WASM binaries are embedded as base64 strings

## Supported algorithms

| Category | Algorithms |
| -------- | ---------- |
| Classic hashes | MD4, MD5, SHA-1, SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, RIPEMD-160, SM3, Whirlpool |
| SHA-3 / Keccak | SHA3-224/256/384/512, Keccak-224/256/384/512 |
| BLAKE | BLAKE2b, BLAKE2s, BLAKE3 |
| Checksums | Adler-32, CRC-32, CRC-32C, CRC-64 |
| Fast non-crypto | xxHash32, xxHash64, xxHash3, xxHash128 |
| MAC / KDF | HMAC, PBKDF2, scrypt |
| Password hashing | Argon2i, Argon2d, Argon2id, bcrypt |

See the full list with bundle sizes in [Algorithms](/algorithms).

## Two ways to hash

**Shorthand** — one call when the full input is already in memory:

```js
import { md5 } from "crypto-hasher";

const hash = await md5("demo");
// "fe01d67a002dfa0f3ac084298142eccf"
```

**Streaming** — create a hasher for chunked or concurrent work:

```js
import { createSHA256 } from "crypto-hasher";

const hasher = await createSHA256();
hasher.init();
hasher.update(chunk1);
hasher.update(chunk2);
const hash = hasher.digest(); // hex string by default
```

## Next steps

- [Install](/installation) the package
- Follow the [Quickstart](/quickstart)
- Browse [Guides](/guides/hashing) for passwords, HMAC, streaming, and more
- Check the [API reference](/api)