So, you’re diving into hashing in JavaScript—exciting stuff! It can feel a bit overwhelming at first, but don’t worry; I’ll break it down for you.

First off, yes, you should definitely use a library for hashing, especially if you’re working with things like passwords. It’s more secure and saves you from making mistakes. The Web Crypto API is built into the browser and can do some cool things, including hashing. But if you’ve never used it before, it might feel a little complex at first.

Libraries like CryptoJS and bcrypt are great choices. Here’s a quick rundown:

• SHA-256 with CryptoJS: This is a fast and simple hashing algorithm. It’s good for data integrity checks or quick hashes but not for password storage since it’s fast and attackers can brute-force it easily.
• bcrypt: This is awesome for passwords! It is specifically designed to be slow, which makes it much harder for attackers to crack passwords via brute-force. If you want security, go with this.

For example, using bcrypt is pretty straightforward. If you want to hash a password, you might do something like this:

        
            const bcrypt = require('bcrypt');
            
            const password = 'yourPassword123';
            const saltRounds = 10;
            
            bcrypt.hash(password, saltRounds, function(err, hash) {
                // Store hash in your password DB
                console.log(hash);
            });
        
    

And for SHA-256 with CryptoJS, it looks like this:

        
            const CryptoJS = require('crypto-js');
            
            const stringToHash = 'yourString';
            const hash = CryptoJS.SHA256(stringToHash).toString();
            
            console.log(hash);
        
    

In terms of performance, using a library might add a tiny overhead, but the benefits in security far outweigh that, especially for password hashing.

Best practices? If it’s a password, always use bcrypt or a similar password hashing algorithm. For other purposes, SHA-256 should work. Just remember, you shouldn’t deliberately try to “reinvent the wheel” when secure libraries are out there already!

There’s a lot of helpful documentation online, especially on sites like NPM for bcrypt and CryptoJS documentation.

So, take a deep breath, pick a library, and dive in! You got this!