In the world of hash functions, there are a lot of different types, as can be found at http://www.wikiwand.com/en/List_of_hash_functions. In the context of blockchain, the main hash functions involved include RIPEMD-160, SHA(2)-256, and KECCAK-256. Both RIPEMD-160 and SHA(2)-256 are used by the original blockchain, Bitcoin core code for hashing, but with a slight twist; that is, it defines its own hash functions as follows:
hash160(privateKey) = RIPEMD-160(SHA-256(privateKey))hash256(byteArray) = SHA-256(SHA-256(byteArray))
The first function is used for identifying a destination, otherwise called the address, and it is computed by hashing your private key first with SHA-256 and then immediately ...