man > CKSUM

CKSUM(1)                                    User Commands                                   CKSUM(1)

NAME
       cksum - compute and verify file checksums

SYNOPSIS
       cksum [OPTION]... [FILE]...

DESCRIPTION
       Print or verify checksums.  By default use the 32 bit CRC algorithm.

       With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.

       Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

       -a, --algorithm=TYPE
              select the digest type to use.  See DIGEST below.

       --base64
              emit base64-encoded digests, not hexadecimal

       -c, --check
              read checksums from the FILEs and check them

       -l, --length=BITS
              digest  length in bits; must not exceed the max for the blake2 algorithm and must be a
              multiple of 8

       --raw  emit a raw binary digest, not hexadecimal

       --tag  create a BSD-style checksum (the default)

       --untagged
              create a reversed style checksum, without digest type

       -z, --zero
              end each output line with NUL, not newline, and disable file name escaping

   The following five options are useful only when verifying checksums:
       --ignore-missing
              don't fail or report status for missing files

       --quiet
              don't print OK for each successfully verified file

       --status
              don't output anything, status code shows success

       --strict
              exit non-zero for improperly formatted checksum lines

       -w, --warn
              warn about improperly formatted checksum lines

       --debug
              indicate which implementation used

       --help display this help and exit

       --version
              output version information and exit

   DIGEST determines the digest algorithm and default output format:
       sysv   (equivalent to sum -s)

       bsd    (equivalent to sum -r)

       crc    (equivalent to cksum)

       md5    (equivalent to md5sum)

       sha1   (equivalent to sha1sum)

       sha224 (equivalent to sha224sum)

       sha256 (equivalent to sha256sum)

       sha384 (equivalent to sha384sum)

       sha512 (equivalent to sha512sum)

       blake2b
              (equivalent to b2sum)

       sm3    (only available through cksum)

       When checking, the input should be a former output of this program, or equivalent  standalone
       program.

AUTHOR
       Written by Padraig Brady and Q. Frank Xia.

REPORTING BUGS
       GNU coreutils online help: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/>
       Report any translation bugs to <https://translationproject.org/team/>

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright  ©  2023 Free Software Foundation, Inc.  License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later
       <https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html>.
       This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.  There is NO WARRANTY,  to
       the extent permitted by law.

SEE ALSO
       Full documentation <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/cksum>
       or available locally via: info '(coreutils) cksum invocation'

GNU coreutils 9.4                           January 2026                                    CKSUM(1)