Tech Engineering

Understanding Hashing: A Key Technique for Duplicate Message Detection in Go

Karthik Anish's photo
Karthik Anish
·

2 min read

Hashing is a technique used to convert data into a fixed-length string of characters, known as a hash. This hash serves as a unique identifier or digital fingerprint for the original data. Hashing is particularly useful in various applications, including data integrity verification, password storage, and duplicate detection.

In the context of email or message processing, hashing can be employed to detect duplicate messages efficiently. Here's how it works:

  • Each message is processed to generate a hash value based on its content.

  • When a new message is received, its hash is computed.

  • The computed hash is then compared against a database of previously stored hashes.

  • If a match is found, the new message is identified as a duplicate.

This method is particularly useful in e-discovery processes, where identifying duplicate emails can save significant time and resources during legal reviews

package main

import (
    "crypto/sha256"
    "encoding/hex"
    "fmt"
)

// Function to hash a message
func hashMessage(message string) string {
    hash := sha256.New()
    hash.Write([]byte(message))
    return hex.EncodeToString(hash.Sum(nil))
}

func main() {
    message := "Hello, World!"
    hashedMessage := hashMessage(message)
    fmt.Println("Hashed Message:", hashedMessage)
}
) }

Hashing converts data into a fixed-length string, serving as a unique identifier. It's used in verifying data integrity, storing passwords, and detecting duplicates. In email processing, hashing helps identify duplicate messages efficiently. A code example in Go demonstrates hashing a message using the SHA-256 algorithm.

golang