SHA is an encryption language. SHA is short for Secure Hash Algorithm. The United States National Security Agency designed this cryptographic hash function.

A "United States Federal Standards for Information Processing. (USNIST)" published by the United States National Institute of Standards and Technology. The first SHA or SHA-1 produces a standard 160-bit or 20-byte hash. This is also known as message digest.

A message digest or a cryptographic hash is a signature used to reveal a data file or text.

As the number suggests, SHA-256 creates a 256-bit or 32-byte signature for a text. This SHA-256 is almost unique.

The hashing algorithm is a mathematical function. Condenses data to a fixed size. Hashes are useful for computers to identify and compare files or data strings.