CRC32C (Castagnoli)
A Practical 32-bit Checksum for Modern Systems
Important
CRC32C is also non-cryptographic. It improves practical error detection over legacy CRC32 for many workloads, but it is still not suitable for security.
What is CRC32C?
CRC32C is a 32-bit cyclic redundancy check that uses the Castagnoli polynomial
(0x82f63b78 in reflected form). It is widely used in distributed storage,
filesystems, and network stacks.
Why Castagnoli?
- Strong error-detection properties for common message sizes
- Broad adoption in modern infrastructure protocols
- Fast implementations with CPU acceleration on many platforms
Key Properties
- Output size: 32 bits (8 hex characters)
- Default polynomial:
0x82f63b78(Castagnoli) - Custom polynomial: Supported in this app
Use Cases
- Block-level integrity in storage paths
- High-throughput pipelines where speed matters
- Protocol compatibility where CRC32C is required
Try CRC32C
Try CRC32C CalculatorKey Takeaways
- CRC32C is checksum technology, not cryptographic protection
- Castagnoli polynomial improves practical error detection behavior
- Use it where systems explicitly require CRC32C compatibility