How to calculate MD5 and SHA1 fingerprints using web browser?

Downloads and fingerprints

MD5 and SHA1 fingerprints often listed next to the large files one can downloads from files are there to ensure that data downloaded is the same as the data on the server. It is a good policy to always check if downloaded file has the same fingerprint as the one provided from the trusted source.

How to perform MD5 or SHA1 check using web browser?

While you can download the command line tools (shasum and md5sum) or use GUI tools to calculate MD5 and SHA1 checksum, it seems that today's browsers should be suited to let you do that calculation without resorting to specialized applications. One such tools that does not require you to download software, but lets you check MD5 and SHA1 sums right from the browser is Checksum MD5 and SHA1 calculator. This handy tool let you pick one or more files, and without uploading them anywhere check them right from the comfort of your device. It works with most of the modern browsers (IE10+, Chrome, Firefox, Safari) and it even works with your mobile devices if you ever need to do that sort of calculation (for example for .apk you just downloaded).