Question 1

What does this tool do?

Accepted Answer

It scans a folder of files and produces a hash manifest — a list of file paths paired with their SHA-256 (or SHA-1, SHA-512, MD5) hashes. Later, you can re-scan the same folder and verify the manifest to detect which files were added, modified, or deleted.

Question 2

How do I scan a folder?

Accepted Answer

Use the 'Pick folder' button (Chrome / Edge / Firefox 100+ support directory picking via webkitdirectory). On browsers without directory support, drag-drop a folder or pick multiple files manually. Every file is hashed via WebCrypto — large files stream in chunks of 4 MB to avoid memory blowup.

Question 3

What is a manifest?

Accepted Answer

A JSON or CSV file containing the relative path, size, last-modified date, and hash of every file in the audited folder. Save it once, and you can re-import it later to verify the folder's current state against the original baseline.

Question 4

Which algorithms are supported?

Accepted Answer

SHA-256 (default, recommended), SHA-512, SHA-1, MD5. SHA-1 and MD5 are deprecated for cryptographic integrity but remain available for legacy manifest verification. Switch the algorithm in the options before creating a manifest.

Question 5

Can I exclude files?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Use glob-style exclude patterns like *.log, .git/*, node_modules/*, *.tmp. Patterns match against the relative path. Multiple patterns can be combined with commas.

Question 6

What extra features does this tool have compared to others?

Accepted Answer

10 extras: (1) Drag-drop folder. (2) Progress bar showing files processed / total. (3) Multiple hash algorithms (SHA-256/SHA-512/SHA-1/MD5). (4) Manifest stats — file count, total size, average size. (5) File filter — show only added / modified / deleted / unchanged. (6) Exclude patterns (glob-style). (7) Manifest diff visualization — color-coded rows for added (green), modified (amber), deleted (red). (8) Copy changed-files list as plain text. (9) History of recent audits (localStorage). (10) Shareable URL encoding algorithm + exclude patterns.

Question 7

Is my data uploaded anywhere?

Accepted Answer

No. All hashing runs in your browser via WebCrypto. File contents never leave your device. Only the manifest (paths + hashes) is saved if you choose to export or save to history.

Question 8

How big a folder can I audit?

Accepted Answer

There's no hard limit — we hash files in 4 MB chunks via streaming, so even multi-GB files work. Very large folders (10,000+ files) will take a while; the progress bar keeps you informed.

File Integrity Auditor

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