Cryptography
BLAKE2
Also known as: BLAKE2b, BLAKE2s, RFC 7693
Definition
A fast, modern cryptographic hash function specified in RFC 7693, offering security comparable to SHA-3 with significantly higher performance in software.
Examples
- Argon2 uses BLAKE2b internally as its compression primitive.
- WireGuard hashes the handshake transcript with BLAKE2s.
Related terms
Cryptographic Hash Function
A deterministic one-way function that maps arbitrary-length input to a fixed-length digest, designed to be collision-, preimage-, and second-preimage-resistant.
SHA-256
A 256-bit cryptographic hash function from the SHA-2 family, widely used for digital signatures, TLS, blockchains, and integrity verification.
SHA-3
A family of hash functions based on the Keccak sponge construction, standardized by NIST as a structurally different alternative to SHA-2.
Argon2
A modern memory-hard password hashing function and KDF, winner of the 2015 Password Hashing Competition and specified in RFC 9106.
HMAC
A keyed Message Authentication Code construction built on top of a cryptographic hash function, defined in RFC 2104 and FIPS 198-1.
Digital Signature
A public-key cryptographic mechanism that proves the authenticity, integrity and non-repudiation of a message or document.