Is BLAKE3 secure in 2026?

Yes. BLAKE3 has no practical breaks as of 2026, and no attack better than brute force is known against it.

What is BLAKE3 used for?

Hashing huge files in parallel (backups, deduplication, content-addressed storage). Replacing HMAC + HKDF + SHAKE with a single primitive. High-throughput Merkle-tree leaf hashing.

How long is the output of BLAKE3?

256 bits, which is 32 bytes, or 64 characters when written as hexadecimal. The length is fixed regardless of how large the input is.

Can BLAKE3 be used to hash passwords?

No, and this is the most consequential mistake people make with it. BLAKE3 is a fast general-purpose hash, and fast is exactly the wrong property for passwords: it lets an attacker with a stolen database test billions of guesses. Use a purpose-built password hashing function such as Argon2id instead.

O'Connor, Aumasson, Neves, Wilcox-O'Hearn, published in 2020.

Hash Lab

secureBLAKE · 256 bits · 2020

BLAKE3

Parallelizable hashing that beats every other secure algorithm on raw throughput. Has a built-in XOF, MAC, and KDF mode.

By Deepak Gupta · Last updated May 28, 2026

BLAKE3 is what BLAKE2 looks like if you redesign for SIMD and many-core CPUs. The internal tree structure means a 1 GB file's hash can be computed in parallel across every core on your laptop. On modern AMD/Intel hardware it routinely outruns SHA-256 even *with* SHA-NI acceleration. It's a single algorithm that fills multiple roles: plain hashing, keyed hashing (replaces HMAC), extendable-output (replaces SHAKE), and key derivation (replaces HKDF). The big trade-off is ecosystem maturity: SHA-256 is in every standard library forever; BLAKE3 still needs a dependency in most languages. Reach for it when raw throughput matters and you control the consumer.

Recommended uses

·Hashing huge files in parallel (backups, deduplication, content-addressed storage)
·Replacing HMAC + HKDF + SHAKE with a single primitive
·High-throughput Merkle-tree leaf hashing

Known attacks / caveats

·None practical.

Designed by

O'Connor, Aumasson, Neves, Wilcox-O'Hearn, published 2020.

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Frequently asked questions

Is BLAKE3 secure in 2026?: Yes. BLAKE3 has no practical breaks as of 2026, and no attack better than brute force is known against it.
What is BLAKE3 used for?: Hashing huge files in parallel (backups, deduplication, content-addressed storage). Replacing HMAC + HKDF + SHAKE with a single primitive. High-throughput Merkle-tree leaf hashing.
How long is the output of BLAKE3?: 256 bits, which is 32 bytes, or 64 characters when written as hexadecimal. The length is fixed regardless of how large the input is.
Can BLAKE3 be used to hash passwords?: No, and this is the most consequential mistake people make with it. BLAKE3 is a fast general-purpose hash, and fast is exactly the wrong property for passwords: it lets an attacker with a stolen database test billions of guesses. Use a purpose-built password hashing function such as Argon2id instead.
Who created BLAKE3?: O'Connor, Aumasson, Neves, Wilcox-O'Hearn, published in 2020.