Blake2

BLAKE2 is a cryptographic hash function that was designed as a successor to the BLAKE hash function. It was developed by Jean-Philippe Aumasson, Samuel Neves, Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn, and Christian Winnerlein. BLAKE2 is known for its high performance and security, making it suitable for a wide range of applications, including digital signatures, message authentication codes, and key derivation functions.

The BLAKE2 family includes two main variants: BLAKE2b and BLAKE2s. BLAKE2b is designed for 64-bit platforms and produces a hash value of up to 64 bytes, while BLAKE2s is optimized for 8- to 32-bit platforms and produces a hash value of up to 32 bytes. Both variants support a variable output length, allowing for flexibility in different use cases.

BLAKE2 is based on the sponge construction, which is a method for building cryptographic primitives. It uses a compression function that processes data in blocks and updates an internal state. The design of BLAKE2 includes several security features, such as a large internal state and a complex mixing function, to ensure resistance against various types of attacks.

BLAKE2 has been extensively analyzed and reviewed by the cryptographic community. It has been adopted by several organizations and projects, including the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and the Bitcoin network. The security of BLAKE2 has been validated through rigorous testing and analysis, making it a reliable choice for cryptographic applications.