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## java.security
Class MessageDigest

    java.lang.Object
      |
      +--java.security.MessageDigestSpi
            |
            +--java.security.MessageDigest

public abstract class MessageDigest
extends MessageDigestSpi

This MessageDigest class provides applications the functionality of a message digest algorithm, such as MD5 or SHA. Message digests are secure one-way hash functions that take arbitrary-sized data and output a fixed-length hash value.

A MessageDigest object starts out initialized. The data is processed through it using the `update` methods. At any point `reset` can be called to reset the digest. Once all the data to be updated has been updated, one of the `digest` methods should be called to complete the hash computation.

The `digest` method can be called once for a given number of updates. After `digest` has been called, the MessageDigest object is reset to its initialized state.

Implementations are free to implement the Cloneable interface. Client applications can test cloneability by attempting cloning and catching the CloneNotSupportedException:

     MessageDigest md = MessageDigest.getInstance("SHA");

     try {
         md.update(toChapter1);
         MessageDigest tc1 = md.clone();
         byte[] toChapter1Digest = tc1.digest();
         md.update(toChapter2);
         ...etc.
     } catch (CloneNotSupportedException cnse) {
         throw new DigestException("couldn't make digest of partial content");
     }

Note that if a given implementation is not cloneable, it is still possible to compute intermediate digests by instantiating several instances, if the number of digests is known in advance.

Note that this class is abstract and extends from `MessageDigestSpi` for historical reasons. Application developers should only take notice of the methods defined in this `MessageDigest` class; all the methods in the superclass are intended for cryptographic service providers who wish to supply their own implementations of message digest algorithms.

See Also:
  `DigestInputStream`, `DigestOutputStream`

Constructor Summary
`protected` | `MessageDigest(String algorithm)` Creates a message digest with the specified algorithm name.

Method Summary
`Object` | `clone()` Returns a clone if the implementation is cloneable.
`byte[]` | `digest()` Completes the hash computation by performing final operations such as padding.
`byte[]` | `digest(byte[] input)` Performs a final update on the digest using the specified array of bytes, then completes the digest computation.
`int` | `digest(byte[] buf, int offset, int len)` Completes the hash computation by performing final operations such as padding.
`String` | `getAlgorithm()` Returns a string that identifies the algorithm, independent of implementation details.
`int` | `getDigestLength()` Returns the length of the digest in bytes, or 0 if this operation is not supported by the provider and the implementation is not cloneable.
`static MessageDigest` | `getInstance(String algorithm)` Generates a MessageDigest object that implements the specified digest algorithm.
`static MessageDigest` | `getInstance(String algorithm, Provider provider)` Generates a MessageDigest object implementing the specified algorithm, as supplied from the specified provider, if such an algorithm is available from the provider.
`static MessageDigest` | `getInstance(String algorithm, String provider)` Generates a MessageDigest object implementing the specified algorithm, as supplied from the specified provider, if such an algorithm is available from the provider.
`Provider` | `getProvider()` Returns the provider of this message digest object.
`static boolean` | `isEqual(byte[] digesta, byte[] digestb)` Compares two digests for equality.
`void` | `reset()` Resets the digest for further use.
`String` | `toString()` Returns a string representation of this message digest object.
`void` | `update(byte input)` Updates the digest using the specified byte.
`void` | `update(byte[] input)` Updates the digest using the specified array of bytes.
`void` | `update(byte[] input, int offset, int len)` Updates the digest using the specified array of bytes, starting at the specified offset.

Methods inherited from class java.security.MessageDigestSpi
`engineDigest, engineDigest, engineGetDigestLength, engineReset, engineUpdate, engineUpdate`

Methods inherited from class java.lang.Object
`equals, finalize, getClass, hashCode, notify, notifyAll, wait, wait, wait`

Constructor Detail

### MessageDigest

    protected MessageDigest(String algorithm)

  Creates a message digest with the specified algorithm name.

Parameters:
  `algorithm` - the standard name of the digest algorithm. See Appendix A in the Java Cryptography Architecture API Specification & Reference for information about standard algorithm names.

Method Detail

### getInstance

    public static MessageDigest getInstance(String algorithm)
                                     throws NoSuchAlgorithmException

  Generates a MessageDigest object that implements the specified digest algorithm. If the default provider package provides an implementation of the requested digest algorithm, an instance of MessageDigest containing that implementation is returned. If the algorithm is not available in the default package, other packages are searched.

  Parameters:
    `algorithm` - the name of the algorithm requested. See Appendix A in the Java Cryptography Architecture API Specification & Reference for information about standard algorithm names.
  Returns:
    a Message Digest object implementing the specified algorithm.
  Throws:
    `NoSuchAlgorithmException` - if the algorithm is not available in the caller's environment.

### getInstance

    public static MessageDigest getInstance(String algorithm,
                                            String provider)
                                     throws NoSuchAlgorithmException,
                                            NoSuchProviderException

  Generates a MessageDigest object implementing the specified algorithm, as supplied from the specified provider, if such an algorithm is available from the provider.

  Parameters:
    `algorithm` - the name of the algorithm requested. See Appendix A in the Java Cryptography Architecture API Specification & Reference for information about standard algorithm names.
    `provider` - the name of the provider.
  Returns:
    a Message Digest object implementing the specified algorithm.
  Throws:
    `NoSuchAlgorithmException` - if the algorithm is not available in the package supplied by the requested provider.
    `NoSuchProviderException` - if the provider is not available in the environment.
    `IllegalArgumentException` - if the provider name is null or empty.
  See Also:
    `Provider`

### getInstance

    public static MessageDigest getInstance(String algorithm,
                                            Provider provider)
                                     throws NoSuchAlgorithmException

  Generates a MessageDigest object implementing the specified algorithm, as supplied from the specified provider, if such an algorithm is available from the provider. Note: the `provider` doesn't have to be registered.

  Parameters:
    `algorithm` - the name of the algorithm requested. See Appendix A in the Java Cryptography Architecture API Specification & Reference for information about standard algorithm names.
    `provider` - the provider.
  Returns:
    a Message Digest object implementing the specified algorithm.
  Throws:
    `NoSuchAlgorithmException` - if the algorithm is not available in the package supplied by the requested provider.
    `IllegalArgumentException` - if the `provider` is null.
  Since:
    1.4
  See Also:
    `Provider`

### getProvider

    public final Provider getProvider()

  Returns the provider of this message digest object.

  Returns:
    the provider of this message digest object

### update

    public void update(byte input)

  Updates the digest using the specified byte.

  Parameters:
    `input` - the byte with which to update the digest.

### update

    public void update(byte[] input,
                       int offset,
                       int len)

  Updates the digest using the specified array of bytes, starting at the specified offset.

  Parameters:
    `input` - the array of bytes.
    `offset` - the offset to start from in the array of bytes.
    `len` - the number of bytes to use, starting at `offset`.

### update

    public void update(byte[] input)

  Updates the digest using the specified array of bytes.

  Parameters:
    `input` - the array of bytes.

### digest

    public byte[] digest()

  Completes the hash computation by performing final operations such as padding. The digest is reset after this call is made.

  Returns:
    the array of bytes for the resulting hash value.

### digest

    public int digest(byte[] buf,
                      int offset,
                      int len)
               throws DigestException

  Completes the hash computation by performing final operations such as padding. The digest is reset after this call is made.

  Parameters:
    `buf` - output buffer for the computed digest
    `offset` - offset into the output buffer to begin storing the digest
    `len` - number of bytes within buf allotted for the digest
  Returns:
    the number of bytes placed into `buf`
  Throws:
    `DigestException` - if an error occurs.

### digest

    public byte[] digest(byte[] input)

  Performs a final update on the digest using the specified array of bytes, then completes the digest computation. That is, this method first calls `update(input)`, passing the input array to the `update` method, then calls `digest()`.

  Parameters:
    `input` - the input to be updated before the digest is completed.
  Returns:
    the array of bytes for the resulting hash value.

### toString

    public String toString()

  Returns a string representation of this message digest object.

  Overrides:
    `toString` in class `Object`
  Returns:
    a string representation of the object.

### isEqual

    public static boolean isEqual(byte[] digesta,
                                  byte[] digestb)

  Compares two digests for equality. Does a simple byte compare.

  Parameters:
    `digesta` - one of the digests to compare.
    `digestb` - the other digest to compare.
  Returns:
    true if the digests are equal, false otherwise.

### reset

    public void reset()

  Resets the digest for further use.

### getAlgorithm

    public final String getAlgorithm()

  Returns a string that identifies the algorithm, independent of implementation details. The name should be a standard Java Security name (such as "SHA", "MD5", and so on). See Appendix A in the Java Cryptography Architecture API Specification & Reference for information about standard algorithm names.

  Returns:
    the name of the algorithm

### getDigestLength

    public final int getDigestLength()

  Returns the length of the digest in bytes, or 0 if this operation is not supported by the provider and the implementation is not cloneable.

  Returns:
    the digest length in bytes, or 0 if this operation is not supported by the provider and the implementation is not cloneable.
  Since:
    1.2

### clone

    public Object clone()
                 throws CloneNotSupportedException

  Returns a clone if the implementation is cloneable.

  Overrides:
    `clone` in class `MessageDigestSpi`
  Returns:
    a clone if the implementation is cloneable.
  Throws:
    `CloneNotSupportedException` - if this is called on an implementation that does not support `Cloneable`.

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For further API reference and developer documentation, see Java 2 SDK SE Developer Documentation. That documentation contains more detailed, developer-targeted descriptions, with conceptual overviews, definitions of terms, workarounds, and working code examples.

Copyright 2002 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved. Use is subject to license terms.