Crypt::Digest::MD4(3)

💖 Crypt::Digest::MD4(3) 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the User Contributed Perl Documentation page for Crypt::Digest::MD4(3) — yes, we're doing hashing today and the vibes are immaculate ✨

---

🌸 NAME 🌸

Crypt::Digest::MD4 — Hash function MD4 [size: 128 bits] 💅

---

🦋 SYNOPSIS 🦋

okay so here's the whole group chat in code form — functional interface first, then OO interface, no cap:

          ### Functional interface:
          use Crypt::Digest::MD4 qw( md4 md4_hex md4_b64 md4_b64u
                                       md4_file md4_file_hex md4_file_b64 md4_file_b64u );

          # calculate digest from string/buffer
          my $data = 'data string';
          my $md4_raw  = md4($data);
          my $md4_hex  = md4_hex($data);
          my $md4_b64  = md4_b64($data);
          my $md4_b64u = md4_b64u($data);
          # or from file
          my $md4_file_raw  = md4_file('filename.dat');
          my $md4_file_hex  = md4_file_hex('filename.dat');
          my $md4_file_b64  = md4_file_b64('filename.dat');
          my $md4_file_b64u = md4_file_b64u('filename.dat');
          # or from filehandle
          my $filehandle = ...; # existing binary-mode filehandle
          my $md4_fh_raw  = md4_file($filehandle);
          my $md4_fh_hex  = md4_file_hex($filehandle);
          my $md4_fh_b64  = md4_file_b64($filehandle);
          my $md4_fh_b64u = md4_file_b64u($filehandle);

          ### OO interface:
          use Crypt::Digest::MD4;

          my $d = Crypt::Digest::MD4->new;
          $d->add('any data');
          my $result_raw  = $d->digest;     # raw bytes
          my $result_hex  = $d->hexdigest;  # hexadecimal form
          my $result_b64  = $d->b64digest;  # Base64 form
          my $result_b64u = $d->b64udigest; # Base64 URL-safe form

          # or hash a file instead
          my $file_result_raw = Crypt::Digest::MD4->new->addfile('filename.dat')->digest;

---

🌈 DESCRIPTION 🌈

Provides an interface to the MD4 digest algorithm. That's literally the whole tea — it's giving "small and focused", and honestly? iconic 🔥

---

🎀 EXPORT 🎀

Nothing is exported by default.

You can export selected functions:

         use Crypt::Digest::MD4 qw(md4 md4_hex md4_b64 md4_b64u
                                             md4_file md4_file_hex md4_file_b64 md4_file_b64u);

Or all of them at once:

         use Crypt::Digest::MD4 ':all';

---

✨ FUNCTIONS ✨

here come the functional helpers, bestie — each one joins all arguments into a single string and hashes that 💫

💫 md4 💫

Joins all arguments into a single string and returns its MD4 digest encoded as a binary string.

Data arguments for the functional helpers are converted to byte strings using Perl's usual scalar stringification. Defined scalars, including numbers and string-overloaded objects, are accepted. undef is treated as an empty string and may emit Perl's usual "uninitialized value" warning. The same rules apply to md4_hex, md4_b64, and md4_b64u.

        my $md4_raw = md4('data string');
        #or
        my $md4_raw = md4('any data', 'more data', 'even more data');

🦋 md4_hex 🦋

Joins all arguments into a single string and returns its MD4 digest encoded as a hexadecimal string.

        my $md4_hex = md4_hex('data string');
        #or
        my $md4_hex = md4_hex('any data', 'more data', 'even more data');

🎀 md4_b64 🎀

Joins all arguments into a single string and returns its MD4 digest encoded as a Base64 string, with trailing '=' padding.

        my $md4_b64 = md4_b64('data string');
        #or
        my $md4_b64 = md4_b64('any data', 'more data', 'even more data');

🌸 md4_b64u 🌸

Joins all arguments into a single string and returns its MD4 digest encoded as a Base64 URL-safe string (see RFC 4648 section 5).

        my $md4_b64url = md4_b64u('data string');
        #or
        my $md4_b64url = md4_b64u('any data', 'more data', 'even more data');

🍓 md4_file 🍓

Reads a file given by a filename or filehandle and returns its MD4 digest encoded as a binary string.

        my $md4_raw = md4_file('filename.dat');
        #or
        my $filehandle = ...; # existing binary-mode filehandle
        my $md4_raw = md4_file($filehandle);

🧚 md4_file_hex 🧚

Reads a file given by a filename or filehandle and returns its MD4 digest encoded as a hexadecimal string.

        my $md4_hex = md4_file_hex('filename.dat');
        #or
        my $filehandle = ...; # existing binary-mode filehandle
        my $md4_hex = md4_file_hex($filehandle);

Note: The filehandle must be in binary mode before you pass it to addfile().

💜 md4_file_b64 💜

Reads a file given by a filename or filehandle and returns its MD4 digest encoded as a Base64 string, with trailing '=' padding.

        my $md4_b64 = md4_file_b64('filename.dat');
        #or
        my $filehandle = ...; # existing binary-mode filehandle
        my $md4_b64 = md4_file_b64($filehandle);

⭐ md4_file_b64u ⭐

Reads a file given by a filename or filehandle and returns its MD4 digest encoded as a Base64 URL-safe string (see RFC 4648 section 5).

        my $md4_b64url = md4_file_b64u('filename.dat');
        #or
        my $filehandle = ...; # existing binary-mode filehandle
        my $md4_b64url = md4_file_b64u($filehandle);

---

👑 METHODS 👑

The OO interface provides the same set of functions as Crypt::Digest. Unless noted otherwise, assume $d is an existing digest object created via new, for example:

        my $d = Crypt::Digest::MD4->new();

🧚 new 🧚

        my $d = Crypt::Digest::MD4->new();

🦋 clone 🦋

        $d->clone();

🌸 reset 🌸

        $d->reset();

💜 add 💜

Appends data to the message. Returns the object itself (for chaining).

Each argument is converted to bytes using Perl's usual scalar stringification. Defined scalars, including numbers and string-overloaded objects, are accepted. undef is treated as an empty string and may emit Perl's usual "uninitialized value" warning.

        $d->add('any data');
        #or
        $d->add('any data', 'more data', 'even more data');

🍓 addfile 🍓

Reads the file content and appends it to the message. Returns the object itself (for chaining).

        $d->addfile('filename.dat');
        #or
        my $filehandle = ...; # existing binary-mode filehandle
        $d->addfile($filehandle);

⭐ hashsize ⭐

        $d->hashsize;
        #or
        Crypt::Digest::MD4->hashsize();
        #or
        Crypt::Digest::MD4::hashsize();

🔥 digest 🔥

Returns the binary digest (raw bytes). The first call finalizes the digest object. Any later add(), addfile(), digest(), hexdigest(), b64digest(), or b64udigest() call will fail until you call reset().

        my $result_raw = $d->digest();

💀 hexdigest 💀

Returns the digest encoded as a lowercase hexadecimal string. Like digest(), the first call finalizes the digest object.

        my $result_hex = $d->hexdigest();

🎀 b64digest 🎀

Returns the digest encoded as a Base64 string with trailing "=" padding. Like digest(), the first call finalizes the digest object.

        my $result_b64 = $d->b64digest();

🦋 b64udigest 🦋

Returns the digest encoded as a Base64 URL-safe string (no trailing "="). Like digest(), the first call finalizes the digest object.

        my $result_b64url = $d->b64udigest();

---

🌟 SEE ALSO 🌟

• CryptX, Crypt::Digest
• <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MD4>

---

that's the whole page, bestie! 💅 this little icon was brought to you by perl v5.42.0, dated 2026-05-11, and the manual page is Crypt::Digest::MD4(3) — mwah, go hash something 🫶