Hash

What is Hash?

Hashing definition refers to the process of producing an encrypted output from a series of digits and alphabets. It is considered to be one of the most crucial components of the Blockchain network since hash keeps hackers and unauthorized users from accessing a message. The developers can generate a hash with the help of a crypto algorithm.

The Blockchain network is the safest and fastest way to make a transaction. You can process a large volume of data and make multiple transactions in a seamless way. Considering the current popularity of cryptocurrency, it is safe to say that Blockchain will soon become one of the leading transaction platforms. To make it even more secure, developers use the hashing technique to encrypt the messages. Hashing can be defined as the process of generating a fixed length of output from the string of input.

Overview of Hashing

Each transaction has to go through the hashing algorithm in order to encrypt the message. This is done to ensure that the miner is unable to get access to the particular message that was intended for an authorized recipient. Guessing the input strings from the output is impossible as long as the transaction goes through the hashing algorithm. The reason is simple – the miner has to use a large number of possible strings as the nonce in order to get to the right message. This is practically not possible because the same length of the output is generated for the input.

Hashing is used to generate a fixed-length output no matter how long or short the input is. This enhances the security of each transaction. Now that each output features the same length, there is no way a hacker can figure out the letters and digits used in the input by looking at the output. Cracking the hash is similar to solving a critical mathematical equation.

Why is it Used?

The miner has to find out the right series to solve the hash. They are supposed to use this series as a nonce to access the encrypted message. As mentioned before, solving the hash is not a cakewalk. Trying different strings as the nonce can turn out to be the most challenging process. This is because a random series of numbers and letters are used to generate a nonce. This makes it impossible for the miner to guess the right string. The miner is going to need to try the strings multiple times in order to get to the right nonce. Let’s understand the concept with an example.

Suppose the word “Hi” needs to be hashed. This encrypted message will generate an output the length of which is similar to “Let’s do business”. Every time you use this input, the same length of output will be generated, making it nearly impossible for even the professional and experienced hacker to get access to the input. Now, creating a hash is not only difficult but expensive too. You need a computer with a strong processing power to hash multiple blocks.