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Asked 2 years ago
10 Aug 2021
Views 224
Dortha

Dortha posted

How do you hash a URL parameter ?

How do you hash a URL parameter ?
jaydeep

jaydeep
answered Feb 25 '23 00:00

Hashing a URL parameter can be done in several ways depending on the specific use case and requirements. Here is a general approach to hash a URL parameter using PHP:

First, define a secret key or passphrase that will be used as the salt for the hashing function. This key should be kept secret to prevent unauthorized access to the data.

Next, get the value of the URL parameter that needs to be hashed using the $_GET superglobal variable. For example:



$url_param = $_GET['param_name'];

Use a hashing function such as md5() or sha1() to generate a hash of the URL parameter value concatenated with the secret key. For example:


$secret_key = 'my_secret_key';
$hashed_param = md5($url_param . $secret_key);  

Note that this example uses the md5() function to generate a 32-character hash of the concatenated string. You can use other hashing functions depending on your requirements.

Append the hashed parameter to the URL using the http_build_query() function. For example:


$params = array('param_name' => $hashed_param);
$url = 'http://example.com?' . http_build_query($params);

This will generate a URL with the hashed parameter appended as a query string.

In the target page that receives the URL parameter, use the same secret key and hashing function to validate the hash. Get the hashed parameter from the URL using the $_GET superglobal variable and generate a hash of the parameter value concatenated with the secret key. Compare this hash with the original hash received in the URL to ensure that the parameter value has not been tampered with.


$received_hash = $_GET['param_name'];
$secret_key = 'my_secret_key';
$original_hash = md5($url_param . $secret_key);

if ($received_hash === $original_hash) {
    // Parameter value is valid
} else {
    // Parameter value has been tampered with
}

Again, this is a general approach, and the specific implementation may vary depending on the use case and requirements. It's important to keep the secret key secure and to use a strong hashing function to ensure that the hashed parameter is not easily guessable or crackable.
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