SHA-256 (Secure Hash Algorithm 256) is a cryptographic hash function that produces a fixed-size output of 256 bits (32 bytes) from any input data of arbitrary size. It belongs to the SHA-2 family, designed by the National Security Agency (NSA) and published in 2001. SHA-256 is widely used for data integrity and security purposes, including in blockchain technology, digital signatures, and password hashing. The algorithm takes an input message, processes it through a series of mathematical operations and logical functions, and generates a unique hash value. This hash value is deterministic, meaning that the same input will always yield the same output, and it is computationally infeasible to reverse-engineer the original input from the hash. Furthermore, even a small change in the input will produce a significantly different hash, a property known as the avalanche effect.
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