// Hash & Crypto
RIPEMD-160 / MD4 / MD5
Hash calculator for RIPEMD, MD4, MD5 and HMAC — hash text or files
by
CHUNKY
MUNSTER
MUNSTER
RIPEMD-160 is a 160-bit hash developed in 1996. Bitcoin uses it for address generation (SHA-256 → RIPEMD-160 → Base58Check). It remains structurally sound for non-password use cases.
No. MD5 is cryptographically broken — collisions are trivially generated. Never use MD5 for passwords or security-sensitive integrity. It is acceptable only for non-security checksums and deduplication.
MD4 is the predecessor to MD5 (1990). It is even weaker and widely broken. It still appears in legacy protocols such as NTLM Windows authentication and certain older VPN systems.
Bitcoin applies SHA-256 twice then RIPEMD-160 to produce a 20-byte address hash. Two structurally different algorithms provide defence in depth — an attacker must break both simultaneously.