Crypto consultants

Q: What does the Crypto node do in n8n?

It performs two main operations: Hash and HMAC. The Hash operation takes a string and produces a fixed-length digest using algorithms like MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256, SHA-384, or SHA-512. The HMAC operation does the same but includes a secret key in the computation, which is used for message authentication. The output can be encoded as hex or base64.

Q: What is the difference between Hash and HMAC?

A hash converts input data into a fixed-length string using only the data itself. Anyone with the same data and algorithm produces the same hash. HMAC adds a secret key to the computation, so only parties who know the key can produce or verify the hash. HMAC is used for authenticating messages and verifying that data was sent by a trusted source.

Q: When would I need HMAC verification in a workflow?

Many third-party services send webhook requests with an HMAC signature in the headers (Stripe, Shopify, GitHub, and others all do this). Your workflow needs to compute the HMAC of the request body using your shared secret and compare it to the header value. If they match, the request is genuine. The Crypto node handles this computation inside the workflow.

Q: Can the Crypto node encrypt or decrypt data?

No. The Crypto node only performs one-way hashing and HMAC operations. It does not support symmetric or asymmetric encryption/decryption. If you need to encrypt data in an n8n workflow, you would use a Function node with Node.js crypto library calls, or an external encryption service via the HTTP Request node.

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About Crypto

The Crypto node in n8n performs cryptographic hashing and HMAC operations on data within your workflows. It takes a string input and applies a hash algorithm (MD5, SHA-256, SHA-384, SHA-512, or others) to produce a fixed-length digest, or computes an HMAC (Hash-based Message Authentication Code) using a secret key. The output is a hex or base64 encoded string that represents the hashed value.

This is a utility node that solves specific technical problems inside automation workflows. When you need to verify data integrity (checking that a file hasn’t been tampered with), generate webhook signature verification (validating that an incoming request genuinely came from the expected sender), create consistent record identifiers from composite data, or anonymise sensitive fields before logging, the Crypto node handles it. It’s not about cryptocurrency; it’s about the cryptographic operations that secure and validate data in transit.

At Osher, we use the Crypto node in system integration workflows where API security requirements include HMAC signature verification, where data deduplication requires consistent hash keys, or where privacy requirements call for hashing personal identifiers before storage. Our custom development team includes these nodes wherever webhook security or data integrity verification is part of the workflow specification.

Crypto FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about how Crypto consultants can help with integration and implementation

What does the Crypto node do in n8n?

What is the difference between Hash and HMAC?

When would I need HMAC verification in a workflow?

Can the Crypto node encrypt or decrypt data?

What are practical use cases for hashing in automations?

Common uses include: webhook signature verification (confirming incoming requests are authentic), generating consistent deduplication keys from composite fields (hash of email + date + amount to detect duplicate transactions), anonymising personal data before logging (hashing email addresses or phone numbers), file integrity checking (comparing hash of downloaded file against expected value), and creating URL-safe identifiers from longer strings.

Which hashing algorithm should I use?

SHA-256 is the standard choice for most business applications, including webhook verification and data integrity checks. MD5 and SHA-1 are faster but considered cryptographically weak and should only be used for non-security purposes like checksum comparisons or legacy system compatibility. For HMAC webhook verification, use whatever algorithm the sending service specifies in their documentation.

How it works

We work hand-in-hand with you to implement Crypto

As Crypto consultants we work with you hand in hand build more efficient and effective operations. Here’s how we will work with you to automate your business and integrate Crypto with integrate and automate 800+ tools.

Step 1

Process Audit

We review your workflow requirements for data integrity, webhook security, and privacy compliance. We identify which incoming webhooks require signature verification, which data fields need hashing for deduplication or anonymisation, and which API integrations require HMAC-signed requests.

Step 2

Identify Automation Opportunities

We identify where cryptographic operations add value to your workflows: validating webhook authenticity from payment providers or SaaS platforms, generating consistent hash keys for deduplication across data sources, anonymising personally identifiable information before logging or analytics, and verifying file integrity for automated document processing.

Step 3

Design Workflows

We design the Crypto node configuration for each use case, including the correct algorithm selection (SHA-256 for most security uses, MD5 for legacy compatibility), encoding format (hex or base64), HMAC key management, and the comparison logic for signature verification (comparing computed hash against the value in webhook headers).

Step 4

Implementation

We add Crypto nodes at the appropriate points in your workflows, configure the algorithm and encoding settings, set up HMAC keys from secure credential storage, build the comparison logic for webhook verification, and connect the hashed output to downstream nodes for storage, logging, or validation decisions.

Step 5

Quality Assurance Review

We test each Crypto node with known input/output pairs to verify correct hashing. For webhook verification, we send test payloads with valid and invalid signatures to confirm the workflow correctly accepts genuine requests and rejects forged ones. We validate that hashed values are consistent across repeated runs with the same input.

Step 6

Support and Maintenance

We rotate HMAC keys when required by security policy, update hashing algorithms if a service changes its signature method, and adjust workflows when new webhook sources are added that require signature verification. We also monitor for any deprecated algorithms that need upgrading.

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