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How to Hash Text in n8n (MD5, SHA-256, SHA-512) for Free

Q: Does n8n have a native node to generate hashes?

Yes. The Crypto node has a Hash action (n8n docs). It is free and needs no account or key. You can also use the hash() expression (n8n docs), for example {{ $json.text.hash('sha256') }}.

Q: Can I hash a file, not just text?

Yes. In the Crypto node, turn on Binary File and enter the Binary Property Name. The Cofferdock API also accepts raw binary bytes directly (Content-Type application/octet-stream).

Q: Which algorithm should I use?

sha256 for most cases (checksums, deduplication). md5 only if you need compatibility with an old system that requires it.

Updated October 26, 2026

Short answer: Use the built-in Crypto node. Add it to your flow, choose the action Hash and pick the Type (for example SHA256). You can also use the expression {{ $json.text.hash('sha256') }}. Both are free and you don't need an API for this.

A hash is a short fingerprint of a text or a file. You use it to check that something has not changed, to spot duplicate records, or to shorten long content into a key. n8n can calculate hashes on its own, so you don't need any extra service.

The free way: Crypto node

Add a Crypto node after the node that has your text (for example a trigger or a Set node).
Set the action to Hash.
In Type, choose the algorithm: MD5, SHA256, SHA3-256, SHA3-384, SHA3-512, SHA384 or SHA512.
In Encoding, choose HEX or BASE64.
In Value, write the text to hash, for example {{ $json.content }}.
In Property Name, write hash. The result goes to {{ $json.hash }}.

The node works item by item: each item gets its own hash.

For example, the text hello world with SHA256 and HEX gives b94d27b9934d3e08a52e52d7da7dabfac484efe37a5380ee9088f7ace2efcde9.

Note: the Crypto node does not offer SHA-1. If you need SHA-1, use the expression below.

Hashing a file

To hash a file, turn on Binary File and enter the Binary Property Name, which is the name of the field that holds the file.

Example: only process records that changed

A trigger with the record's content.
A Crypto node (action Hash, Type SHA256, Encoding HEX) that computes its hash.
An If node that compares {{ $json.hash }} with the hash saved last time (in a database or Google Sheets). If they are different, the flow continues. If they are the same, it stops.

Only content that actually changed gets reprocessed.

Another free way: the hash() expression

In any field that accepts expressions, you can write:

{{ $json.text.hash('sha256') }}

The function works on a string. If you leave out the algorithm, it uses md5. The algorithms are: md5, base64, sha1, sha224, sha256, sha384, sha512, sha3 and ripemd160. Unlike the Crypto node, it includes SHA-1.

When the Cofferdock API is worth it

The same call in all your tools. The same request works from n8n, Make, Zapier or your own code.
SHA-1 without expressions. The Crypto node does not have SHA-1. The Cofferdock API does.

If you only need a hash in n8n, the Crypto node is the better option: it is free, built in and needs no key. The API only makes sense when one of the reasons above applies to you.

What you'll get

You send a text and the algorithm you want (md5, sha1, sha256 or sha512) and get back the hash, in hex or base64.

Common uses in n8n:

Checking whether a record's content has changed since last time by comparing its hash.
Deduplicating rows coming from different sources without comparing the full text.
Generating a short, stable fingerprint of long content, to use as a key.
Signing a value before sending it to a webhook that verifies it.

What you need

A Cofferdock account. The free tier gives you 50 uses/month with no card.
Your API key, from your dashboard with "+ Create key". It's shown only once.
An HTTP Request node in your n8n flow.

Step by step in the HTTP Request node

Add an HTTP Request node and fill it in like this:

Method: POST
URL: https://api.cofferdock.com/hash
Send Headers: turn it on and add two: x-api-key with your key, and Content-Type with the value application/json.
Send Body: turn it on → Body Content Type: JSON → in the body:

{ "text": "={{ $json.content }}", "algorithm": "sha256" }

Under Options → Response → Response Format leave it as JSON.

The response includes hash and algorithm, ready to use with {{ $json.hash }}.

Options you can tweak

Add them in the same JSON body:

Option	Default	What it does
`algorithm`	`sha256`	`md5`, `sha1`, `sha256` or `sha512`.
`encoding`	`hex`	`hex` or `base64`.

Prefer to see it in code?

The same call with curl:

curl -X POST "https://api.cofferdock.com/hash" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"text": "hello world", "algorithm": "sha256"}'

How much does it cost?

Each call uses 1 credit from your plan, whatever the algorithm or the size of the text. Every Cofferdock tool draws from the same pool of credits.

FAQ

Does n8n have a native node to generate hashes? Yes. The Crypto node has a Hash action (n8n docs). It is free and needs no account or key. You can also use the hash() expression (n8n docs), for example {{ $json.text.hash('sha256') }}.

Can I hash a file, not just text? Yes. In the Crypto node, turn on Binary File and enter the Binary Property Name. The Cofferdock API also accepts raw binary bytes directly (Content-Type application/octet-stream).

Which algorithm should I use? sha256 for most cases (checksums, deduplication). md5 only if you need compatibility with an old system that requires it.

Does the same text always produce the same hash? Yes, a hash is deterministic: the same text and algorithm always produce the same result.

Related guides

Try it yourself

You'll find the full instructions, with copy-paste examples, on the hash generator page. And if you don't have an account yet, you can create one for free and build your first flow today.