SHA-384 is a 384-bit hash function from the SHA-2 family, using the same core as SHA-512 with different initial values, offering a balanced security level with 192-bit collision resistance.
Specifications
Output Size384 bits
StandardFIPS 180-4
Standard Year2015
Origin SHA-384 in the SHA-2 family
Origin Year 2001
Use Cases
—TLS/SSL certificate chains
—Code signing and authentication
—Applications requiring moderate output size
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. SHA-384 is part of SHA-2 and remains secure for modern cryptographic integrity use cases.
SHA-384 provides 192-bit security strength, exceeding the 128-bit minimum for '128-bit security' classification. It's often required in government and military applications (Suite B). The 384-bit output offers better quantum resistance than SHA-256 while being more space-efficient than SHA-512.
Yes, SHA-384 is essentially SHA-512 with different initialization vectors and truncated to 384 bits. However, the different IVs make it a distinct algorithm. The truncation removes the rightmost bits, keeping the most significant 384 bits of the 512-bit internal state.