Crypto

1. Overview

The Crypto tool is a built-in utility within GoInsight that provides a set of common cryptographic hashing functions. Hashing is a one-way process that converts an input of any size into a fixed-size string of text, known as a hash value or digest. This is essential for tasks like verifying data integrity, securing passwords, and creating digital signatures.

With the GoInsight Crypto node, you can seamlessly integrate hashing operations into your workflows. This allows you to perform various data transformations, including:

• Generating MD5 hashes, commonly used for file checksums.
• Creating secure hashes using modern algorithms like SHA-256 and SHA-512 for security-sensitive applications.
• Utilizing a range of standard hashing functions to meet different technical requirements.

2. Prerequisites

This is a built-in utility node. No external accounts or special configurations are required to use it.

3. Credentials

This tool does not require any credentials for its operations.

4. Supported Operations

This section details the hashing functions available in the Crypto node.

Summary

The Crypto node provides a suite of operations for hashing text data.

Operation Details

Text to MD5 Hash

Converts input text into an MD5 hash value.

Input Parameters:

• Text: Input text to be hashed.

Output:

• HashValue (string): The resulting MD5 hash value if successful, otherwise an empty string.

Text to SHA1 Hash

Converts input text into an SHA1 hash value.

Input Parameters:

• Text: Input text to be hashed.

Output:

• HashValue (string): The resulting SHA1 hash value if successful, otherwise an empty string.

Text to SHA256 Hash

Converts input text into an SHA256 hash value.

Input Parameters:

• Text: Input text to be hashed.

Output:

• HashValue (string): The resulting SHA256 hash value if successful, otherwise an empty string.

Text to SHA3-512 Hash

Converts input text into an SHA3-512 hash value.

Input Parameters:

• Text: Input text to be hashed.

Output:

• HashValue (string): The resulting SHA3-512 hash value if successful, otherwise an empty string.

Text to SHA512 Hash

Converts input text into an SHA512 hash value.

Input Parameters:

• Text: Input text to be hashed.

Output:

• HashValue (string): The resulting SHA512 hash value if successful, otherwise an empty string.

5. Example Usage

This section will guide you through creating a simple workflow to generate a SHA256 hash from a given text input. This is a common requirement for password hashing or data integrity checks.

The workflow will consist of three nodes: Start -> Crypto (Text to SHA256 Hash) -> Answer.

1. Add the Crypto Node
   • In the workflow canvas, click the + button to add a new node.
   • In the panel that appears, select the "Tools" tab.
   • Find and select "Crypto" from the list of tools.
   • From the list of supported operations for Crypto, click on "Text to SHA256 Hash" to add the node to your canvas.
2. Configure the Node
   • Click on the newly added "Text to SHA256 Hash" node to open its configuration panel on the right.
   • Credentials: This node does not require any credentials, so you can skip this step.
   • Parameters: You will see one required input field:
   • Text: This is the input string you want to hash. You can enter a static value directly, or more commonly, use an expression to reference an output from a previous node. For this example, let's assume the Start node provides the text. You can use an expression like {{start.text}} to dynamically use the input from the workflow's start.
3. Run and Validate
   • Once the Text parameter is filled, any error indicators on the workflow should disappear.
   • Click the "Run" button in the top-right corner of the canvas to execute the workflow.
   • After a successful run, you can click the log icon in the top-right corner to view the detailed input and output of the node, confirming that the HashValue has been generated correctly.

After completing these steps, your workflow is fully configured. When run, it will take the input text, compute its SHA256 hash, and make the result available for subsequent nodes in your workflow.

6. FAQs

Q: Which hashing algorithm should I choose?

A: The choice depends on your use case. Here's a general guideline:

• MD5 and SHA1: These are older algorithms and are no longer considered secure against collisions. They are suitable for non-security purposes like file integrity checks (checksums).
• SHA256 and SHA512: These are part of the SHA-2 family and are the current industry standard for security-sensitive applications like password hashing and digital signatures. SHA512 is generally more secure but slightly slower than SHA256.
• SHA3-512: This is from the newer SHA-3 standard, offering a different internal structure than SHA-2, which makes it a good alternative for enhanced security.

Q: Can I reverse the hash to get the original text back?

A: No. Cryptographic hash functions are designed to be one-way operations. It is computationally infeasible to reverse the process and derive the original input text from its hash value. This property is fundamental to their security.

Q: Why do I get the same hash value every time for the same input text?

A: This is the expected and desired behavior. Hashing algorithms are deterministic, meaning a specific input will always produce the exact same output hash. This consistency is what allows them to be used for verification, such as checking if a password matches or if a file has been altered.

7. Official Documentation

Hashing is a fundamental concept in computer science and cryptography. For a deeper understanding of the principles behind these functions, you can refer to general educational resources.

• Cryptographic Hash Function (Wikipedia)