Hello, Everyone! The oshash module will be discussed in this tutorial today. We’ll explore how we can get it into our system and use it. We will also analyze how this method compares to other algorithms in terms of performance. Following that, we will look at some of its instances to have a better grasp of it.
So, let’s get started, shall we?
Introduction to Hashing
Hashing is the process of mapping object data to a representative integer value using a function or algorithm. It is accomplished by the use of a table with key-value pairs. It operates bypassing the value through the hashing function, which returns a key, also known as hash-keys/hash-codes, corresponding to the value. The integer hash code is then mapped to the fixed size we have.
We may derive from this that a hash function is any function that can be used to convert data of variable size to fixed-size values. Hash values, hash codes, or simply hashes are the values returned by a hash function. So, now that we have a basic understanding of hashing, we can go on to the module “oshash.”
What makes Oshash Module better?
Although there are various efficient algorithms, “Oshash” explored a few different techniques to achieve Hashing. In contrast to other algorithms, its major purpose is to attain good speed when others lag.
The primary disadvantage that makes them sluggish is that they read the whole file at once, which is not recommended for “oshash.” Instead, it reads the file piecemeal.
However, we didn’t have to be concerned about its internal operation or hash functions. We shall concentrate more on its application. Let’s start with the installation and then go on to the example.
Installing Oshash Module
We can install it using pip with the following command.
pip install oshash
Implementing Oshash Module
So, once we’ve completed the installation, let’s see how we can put it to use.
We may utilize it in two ways: the first is in our program file, and the second is through the command-line interface. Let’s look at an example of each. It returns a hash file in both cases.
Syntax for Program File
import oshash
file_hash = oshash.oshash(<path to video file>)
Syntax for Command-Line Interface
$ oshash <path to file>
Although we did not see any such technique in the preceding example, a hash is created in the background, as shown in the syntax below.
file_buffer = open("/path/to/file/")
head_checksum = checksum(file_buffer.head(64 * 1024)) # 64KB
tail_checksum = checksum(file_buffer.tail(64 * 1024)) # 64KB
file_hash = file_buffer.size + head_checksum + tail_checksum
Conclusion
Congratulations! You just learned about the Oshash module in Python. Hope you enjoyed it! 😇
Liked the tutorial? In any case, I would recommend you to have a look at the tutorials mentioned below:
- The xlrd Module – How To Handle Excel Files In Python?
- The pyzbar module: Decoding Barcodes in Python
- Python HTTP module – All you need to know!
- Python tabulate module: How to Easily Create Tables in Python?
Thank you for taking your time out! Hope you learned something new!! 😄