The SHA 256 algorithm, is one of the most widely used hash algorithms, and is used by Bitcoin. While there are other variants, SHA 256 has been at the forefront of real-world applications. It is the process of scrambling raw information to the extent that it cannot reproduce it back to its original form. It takes a piece of information and passes it through a function that performs mathematical operations on the plaintext. This function is called the hash function, and the output is called the hash value/digest.