OPENSSL-DGST(1SSL) OpenSSL OPENSSL-DGST(1SSL)
NAME
openssl-dgst - perform digest operations
SYNOPSIS
openssl dgst|digest [-digest] [-list] [-help] [-c] [-d] [-debug] [-hex]
[-binary] [-xoflen length] [-r] [-out filename] [-sign filename|uri]
[-keyform DER|PEM|P12|ENGINE] [-passin arg] [-verify filename]
[-prverify filename] [-signature filename] [-sigopt nm:v] [-hmac key]
[-mac alg] [-macopt nm:v] [-fips-fingerprint] [-engine id]
[-engine_impl id] [-rand files] [-writerand file] [-provider name]
[-provider-path path] [-propquery propq] [file ...]
DESCRIPTION
This command output the message digest of a supplied file or files in
hexadecimal, and also generates and verifies digital signatures using
message digests.
The generic name, openssl dgst, may be used with an option specifying
the algorithm to be used. The default digest is sha256. A supported
digest name may also be used as the sub-command name. To see the list
of supported algorithms, use "openssl list -digest-algorithms"
OPTIONS
-help
Print out a usage message.
-digest
Specifies name of a supported digest to be used. See option -list
below :
-list
Prints out a list of supported message digests.
-c Print out the digest in two digit groups separated by colons, only
relevant if the -hex option is given as well.
-d, -debug
Print out BIO debugging information.
-hex
Digest is to be output as a hex dump. This is the default case for
a "normal" digest as opposed to a digital signature. See NOTES
below for digital signatures using -hex.
-binary
Output the digest or signature in binary form.
-xoflen length
Set the output length for XOF algorithms, such as shake128 and
shake256. This option is not supported for signing operations.
For OpenSSL providers it is recommended to set this value for shake
algorithms, since the default values are set to only supply half of
the maximum security strength.
For backwards compatibility reasons the default xoflen length for
shake128 is 16 (bytes) which results in a security strength of only
64 bits. To ensure the maximum security strength of 128 bits, the
xoflen should be set to at least 32.
For backwards compatibility reasons the default xoflen length for
shake256 is 32 (bytes) which results in a security strength of only
128 bits. To ensure the maximum security strength of 256 bits, the
xoflen should be set to at least 64.
-r Output the digest in the "coreutils" format, including newlines.
Used by programs like sha1sum(1).
-out filename
Filename to output to, or standard output by default.
-sign filename|uri
Digitally sign the digest using the given private key. Note this
option does not support Ed25519 or Ed448 private keys. Use the
openssl-pkeyutl(1) command instead for this.
-keyform DER|PEM|P12|ENGINE
The format of the key to sign with; unspecified by default. See
openssl-format-options(1) for details.
-sigopt nm:v
Pass options to the signature algorithm during sign or verify
operations. Names and values of these options are algorithm-
specific.
-passin arg
The private key password source. For more information about the
format of arg see openssl-passphrase-options(1).
-verify filename
Verify the signature using the public key in "filename". The
output is either "Verified OK" or "Verification Failure".
-prverify filename
Verify the signature using the private key in "filename".
-signature filename
The actual signature to verify.
-hmac key
Create a hashed MAC using "key".
The openssl-mac(1) command should be preferred to using this
command line option.
-mac alg
Create MAC (keyed Message Authentication Code). The most popular
MAC algorithm is HMAC (hash-based MAC), but there are other MAC
algorithms which are not based on hash, for instance gost-mac
algorithm, supported by the gost engine. MAC keys and other options
should be set via -macopt parameter.
The openssl-mac(1) command should be preferred to using this
command line option.
-macopt nm:v
Passes options to MAC algorithm, specified by -mac key. Following
options are supported by both by HMAC and gost-mac:
key:string
Specifies MAC key as alphanumeric string (use if key contain
printable characters only). String length must conform to any
restrictions of the MAC algorithm for example exactly 32 chars
for gost-mac.
hexkey:string
Specifies MAC key in hexadecimal form (two hex digits per
byte). Key length must conform to any restrictions of the MAC
algorithm for example exactly 32 chars for gost-mac.
The openssl-mac(1) command should be preferred to using this
command line option.
-fips-fingerprint
Compute HMAC using a specific key for certain OpenSSL-FIPS
operations.
-rand files, -writerand file
See "Random State Options" in openssl(1) for details.
-engine id
See "Engine Options" in openssl(1). This option is deprecated.
The engine is not used for digests unless the -engine_impl option
is used or it is configured to do so, see "Engine Configuration
Module" in config(5).
-engine_impl id
When used with the -engine option, it specifies to also use engine
id for digest operations.
-provider name
-provider-path path
-propquery propq
See "Provider Options" in openssl(1), provider(7), and property(7).
file ...
File or files to digest. If no files are specified then standard
input is used.
EXAMPLES
To create a hex-encoded message digest of a file:
openssl dgst -md5 -hex file.txt
or
openssl md5 file.txt
To sign a file using SHA-256 with binary file output:
openssl dgst -sha256 -sign privatekey.pem -out signature.sign file.txt
or
openssl sha256 -sign privatekey.pem -out signature.sign file.txt
To verify a signature:
openssl dgst -sha256 -verify publickey.pem \
-signature signature.sign \
file.txt
NOTES
The digest mechanisms that are available will depend on the options
used when building OpenSSL. The "openssl list -digest-algorithms"
command can be used to list them.
New or agile applications should use probably use SHA-256. Other
digests, particularly SHA-1 and MD5, are still widely used for
interoperating with existing formats and protocols.
When signing a file, this command will automatically determine the
algorithm (RSA, ECC, etc) to use for signing based on the private key's
ASN.1 info. When verifying signatures, it only handles the RSA, DSA,
or ECDSA signature itself, not the related data to identify the signer
and algorithm used in formats such as x.509, CMS, and S/MIME.
A source of random numbers is required for certain signing algorithms,
in particular ECDSA and DSA.
The signing and verify options should only be used if a single file is
being signed or verified.
Hex signatures cannot be verified using openssl. Instead, use "xxd -r"
or similar program to transform the hex signature into a binary
signature prior to verification.
The openssl-mac(1) command is preferred over the -hmac, -mac and
-macopt command line options.
SEE ALSO
openssl-mac(1)
HISTORY
The default digest was changed from MD5 to SHA256 in OpenSSL 1.1.0.
The FIPS-related options were removed in OpenSSL 1.1.0.
The -engine and -engine_impl options were deprecated in OpenSSL 3.0.
COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2000-2022 The OpenSSL Project Authors. All Rights Reserved.
Licensed under the Apache License 2.0 (the "License"). You may not use
this file except in compliance with the License. You can obtain a copy
in the file LICENSE in the source distribution or at
<https://www.openssl.org/source/license.html>.
3.0.13 2025-09-18 OPENSSL-DGST(1SSL)
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