How the SHA2() function works in Mariadb?

The SHA2() function in MariaDB is a versatile function that allows you to compute various cryptographic hash values belonging to the SHA-2 family of hash functions.

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The SHA2() function in MariaDB is a versatile function that allows you to compute various cryptographic hash values belonging to the SHA-2 family of hash functions. The SHA-2 family includes four different hash functions: SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, and SHA-512, each producing a hash value of different lengths (224, 256, 384, and 512 bits, respectively). These hash functions are widely used for data integrity checking, digital signatures, and secure password storage.

Syntax

The syntax for the MariaDB SHA2() function is as follows:

SHA2(str, hash_length)
  • str: The string for which the SHA-2 hash value is to be computed.
  • hash_length: The desired length of the hash value in bits. It can be 224, 256, 384, or 512.

The function returns a hexadecimal string representation of the computed SHA-2 hash value, with a length that corresponds to the specified hash_length parameter.

Examples

Example 1: Computing the SHA-256 hash value of a string

In this example, we’ll demonstrate how to use the SHA2() function to compute the SHA-256 hash value of a given string.

SELECT SHA2('Hello, World!', 256);

The following is the output:

dffd6021bb2bd5b0af676290809ec3a53191dd81c7f70a4b28688a362182986f

The SHA2() function computes the SHA-256 hash value of the string 'Hello, World!' and returns the 64-character hexadecimal representation.

The following are some functions related to the MariaDB SHA2() function:

  • MariaDB SHA1() function is used to compute the SHA-1 160-bit cryptographic hash value of a given string.
  • MariaDB MD5() function is used to compute the MD5 128-bit cryptographic hash value of a given string.
  • MariaDB PASSWORD() function is used to encrypt a given string using the MySQL password encryption algorithm.
  • MariaDB ENCODE() and DECODE() functions are used to encode and decode strings using various encryption algorithms.

Conclusion

The SHA2() function in MariaDB provides a flexible way to compute various cryptographic hash values from the SHA-2 family. By specifying the desired hash length, you can choose the appropriate hash function (SHA-224, SHA-256, SHA-384, or SHA-512) based on your security requirements and performance considerations. The SHA-2 family of hash functions is generally considered more secure than older hash functions like SHA-1 and MD5, making the SHA2() function a preferred choice for applications that require stronger cryptographic hash capabilities.