What is difference between MD5 and SHA1

Question

What is difference between and . I know both represent value in hash algorithm. I am in confusion than how can retrieve value using SHA1 and MD5 because algorithm represent value in hash.

Vulpes · Answer

Both the MD5 and SHA1 hashing algorithms provide one way encryption which is ideal for storing passwords as you will not normally need to see the unencrypted version. You just hash the password provided by the user and authenticate it by comparing it with what's stored in the database. MD5 uses a hash length of 16 bytes and SHA1 uses 20 bytes. This means that SHA1 is slower but more secure.