System.Object.GetHashCode method

Article
01/30/2024

This article provides supplementary remarks to the reference documentation for this API.

The GetHashCode method provides a hash code for algorithms that need quick checks of object equality. A hash code is a numeric value that is used to insert and identify an object in a hash-based collection, such as the Dictionary<TKey,TValue> class, the Hashtable class, or a type derived from the DictionaryBase class.

Note

For information about how hash codes are used in hash tables and for some additional hash code algorithms, see the Hash Function entry in Wikipedia.

Two objects that are equal return hash codes that are equal. However, the reverse is not true: equal hash codes do not imply object equality, because different (unequal) objects can have identical hash codes. Furthermore, .NET does not guarantee the default implementation of the GetHashCode method, and the value this method returns may differ between .NET implementations, such as different versions of .NET Framework and .NET Core, and platforms, such as 32-bit and 64-bit platforms. For these reasons, do not use the default implementation of this method as a unique object identifier for hashing purposes. Two consequences follow from this:

You should not assume that equal hash codes imply object equality.
You should never persist or use a hash code outside the application domain in which it was created, because the same object may hash across application domains, processes, and platforms.

Warning

A hash code is intended for efficient insertion and lookup in collections that are based on a hash table. A hash code is not a permanent value. For this reason:

Do not serialize hash code values or store them in databases.
Do not use the hash code as the key to retrieve an object from a keyed collection.
Do not send hash codes across application domains or processes. In some cases, hash codes may be computed on a per-process or per-application domain basis.
Do not use the hash code instead of a value returned by a cryptographic hashing function if you need a cryptographically strong hash. For cryptographic hashes, use a class derived from the System.Security.Cryptography.HashAlgorithm or System.Security.Cryptography.KeyedHashAlgorithm class.
Do not test for equality of hash codes to determine whether two objects are equal. (Unequal objects can have identical hash codes.) To test for equality, call the ReferenceEquals or Equals method.

The GetHashCode method can be overridden by a derived type. If GetHashCode is not overridden, hash codes for reference types are computed by calling the Object.GetHashCode method of the base class, which computes a hash code based on an object's reference; for more information, see RuntimeHelpers.GetHashCode. In other words, two objects for which the ReferenceEquals method returns true have identical hash codes. If value types do not override GetHashCode, the ValueType.GetHashCode method of the base class uses reflection to compute the hash code based on the values of the type's fields. In other words, value types whose fields have equal values have equal hash codes. For more information about overriding GetHashCode, see the "Notes to Inheritors" section.

Warning

If you override the GetHashCode method, you should also override Equals, and vice versa. If your overridden Equals method returns true when two objects are tested for equality, your overridden GetHashCode method must return the same value for the two objects.

If an object that is used as a key in a hash table does not provide a useful implementation of GetHashCode, you can specify a hash code provider by supplying an IEqualityComparer implementation to one of the overloads of the Hashtable class constructor.

Notes for the Windows Runtime

When you call the GetHashCode method on a class in the Windows Runtime, it provides the default behavior for classes that don't override GetHashCode. This is part of the support that .NET provides for the Windows Runtime (see .NET Support for Windows Store Apps and Windows Runtime). Classes in the Windows Runtime don't inherit Object, and currently don't implement a GetHashCode. However, they appear to have ToString, Equals(Object), and GetHashCode methods when you use them in your C# or Visual Basic code, and the .NET Framework provides the default behavior for these methods.

Note

Windows Runtime classes that are written in C# or Visual Basic can override the GetHashCode method.

Examples

One of the simplest ways to compute a hash code for a numeric value that has the same or a smaller range than the Int32 type is to simply return that value. The following example shows such an implementation for a Number structure.

using System;

public struct Number
{
   private int n;

   public Number(int value)
   {
      n = value;
   }

   public int Value
   {
      get { return n; }
   }

   public override bool Equals(Object obj)
   {
      if (obj == null || ! (obj is Number))
         return false;
      else
         return n == ((Number) obj).n;
   }

   public override int GetHashCode()
   {
      return n;
   }

   public override string ToString()
   {
      return n.ToString();
   }
}

public class Example1
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      Random rnd = new Random();
      for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= 9; ctr++) {
         int randomN = rnd.Next(Int32.MinValue, Int32.MaxValue);
         Number n = new Number(randomN);
         Console.WriteLine("n = {0,12}, hash code = {1,12}", n, n.GetHashCode());
      }
   }
}
// The example displays output like the following:
//       n =   -634398368, hash code =   -634398368
//       n =   2136747730, hash code =   2136747730
//       n =  -1973417279, hash code =  -1973417279
//       n =   1101478715, hash code =   1101478715
//       n =   2078057429, hash code =   2078057429
//       n =   -334489950, hash code =   -334489950
//       n =    -68958230, hash code =    -68958230
//       n =   -379951485, hash code =   -379951485
//       n =    -31553685, hash code =    -31553685
//       n =   2105429592, hash code =   2105429592

open System

[<Struct; CustomEquality; NoComparison>]
type Number(value: int) =
    member _.Value = value

    override _.Equals(obj) =
        match obj with
        | :? Number as n ->
            n.Value = value
        | _ -> false

    override _.GetHashCode() =
        value

    override _.ToString() =
        string value

let rnd = Random()
for _ = 0 to 9 do
    let randomN = rnd.Next(Int32.MinValue, Int32.MaxValue)
    let n = Number randomN
    printfn $"n = {n,12}, hash code = {n.GetHashCode(),12}"
// The example displays output like the following:
//       n =   -634398368, hash code =   -634398368
//       n =   2136747730, hash code =   2136747730
//       n =  -1973417279, hash code =  -1973417279
//       n =   1101478715, hash code =   1101478715
//       n =   2078057429, hash code =   2078057429
//       n =   -334489950, hash code =   -334489950
//       n =    -68958230, hash code =    -68958230
//       n =   -379951485, hash code =   -379951485
//       n =    -31553685, hash code =    -31553685
//       n =   2105429592, hash code =   2105429592

Public Structure Number
   Private n As Integer

   Public Sub New(value As Integer)
      n = value
   End Sub

   Public ReadOnly Property Value As Integer
      Get
         Return n
      End Get
   End Property
   
   Public Overrides Function Equals(obj As Object) As Boolean
      If obj Is Nothing OrElse Not TypeOf obj Is Number Then
         Return False
      Else
         Return n = CType(obj, Number).n
      End If
   End Function      
   
   Public Overrides Function GetHashCode() As Integer
      Return n
   End Function
   
   Public Overrides Function ToString() As String
      Return n.ToString()
   End Function
End Structure

Module Example1
    Public Sub Main()
        Dim rnd As New Random()
        For ctr As Integer = 0 To 9
            Dim randomN As Integer = rnd.Next(Int32.MinValue, Int32.MaxValue)
            Dim n As New Number(randomN)
            Console.WriteLine("n = {0,12}, hash code = {1,12}", n, n.GetHashCode())
        Next
    End Sub
End Module
' The example displays output like the following:
'       n =   -634398368, hash code =   -634398368
'       n =   2136747730, hash code =   2136747730
'       n =  -1973417279, hash code =  -1973417279
'       n =   1101478715, hash code =   1101478715
'       n =   2078057429, hash code =   2078057429
'       n =   -334489950, hash code =   -334489950
'       n =    -68958230, hash code =    -68958230
'       n =   -379951485, hash code =   -379951485
'       n =    -31553685, hash code =    -31553685
'       n =   2105429592, hash code =   2105429592

Frequently, a type has multiple data fields that can participate in generating the hash code. One way to generate a hash code is to combine these fields using an XOR (eXclusive OR) operation, as shown in the following example.

using System;

// A type that represents a 2-D point.
public struct Point2
{
    private int x;
    private int y;

    public Point2(int x, int y)
    {
       this.x = x;
       this.y = y;
    }

    public override bool Equals(Object obj)
    {
       if (! (obj is Point2)) return false;

       Point2 p = (Point2) obj;
       return x == p.x & y == p.y;
    }

    public override int GetHashCode()
    {
        return x ^ y;
    }
}

public class Example3
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      Point2 pt = new Point2(5, 8);
      Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode());

      pt = new Point2(8, 5);
      Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode());
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//       13
//       13

// A type that represents a 2-D point.
[<Struct; CustomEquality; NoComparison>]
type Point(x: int, y: int) =
    member _.X = x
    member _.Y = y

    override _.Equals(obj) =
        match obj with
        | :? Point as p ->
            x = p.X && y = p.Y
        | _ -> 
            false

    override _.GetHashCode() =
        x ^^^ y

let pt = Point(5, 8)
printfn $"{pt.GetHashCode()}"

let pt2 = Point(8, 5)
printfn $"{pt.GetHashCode()}"
// The example displays the following output:
//       13
//       13

' A type that represents a 2-D point.
Public Structure Point3
    Private x As Integer
    Private y As Integer

    Public Sub New(x As Integer, y As Integer)
        Me.x = x
        Me.y = y
    End Sub

    Public Overrides Function Equals(obj As Object) As Boolean
        If Not TypeOf obj Is Point3 Then Return False

        Dim p As Point3 = CType(obj, Point3)
        Return x = p.x And y = p.y
    End Function

    Public Overrides Function GetHashCode() As Integer
        Return x Xor y
    End Function
End Structure

Public Module Example3
    Public Sub Main()
        Dim pt As New Point3(5, 8)
        Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode())

        pt = New Point3(8, 5)
        Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode())
    End Sub
End Module

The previous example returns the same hash code for (n1, n2) and (n2, n1), and so may generate more collisions than are desirable. A number of solutions are available so that hash codes in these cases are not identical. One is to return the hash code of a Tuple object that reflects the order of each field. The following example shows a possible implementation that uses the Tuple<T1,T2> class. Note, though, that the performance overhead of instantiating a Tuple object may significantly impact the overall performance of an application that stores large numbers of objects in hash tables.

using System;

public struct Point3
{
    private int x;
    private int y;

    public Point3(int x, int y)
    {
       this.x = x;
       this.y = y;
    }

    public override bool Equals(Object obj)
    {
        if (obj is Point3)
        {
            Point3 p = (Point3) obj;
            return x == p.x & y == p.y;
        }
        else
        {
            return false;
        }      
    }

    public override int GetHashCode()
    {
        return Tuple.Create(x, y).GetHashCode();
    }
}

public class Example
{
   public static void Main()
   {
        Point3 pt = new Point3(5, 8);
        Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode());

        pt = new Point3(8, 5);
        Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode());
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//       173
//       269

[<Struct; CustomEquality; NoComparison>]
type Point(x: int, y: int) =
    member _.X = x
    member _.Y = y

    override _.Equals(obj) =
        match obj with
        | :? Point as p ->
            x = p.X && y = p.Y
        | _ -> 
            false

    override _.GetHashCode() =
        (x, y).GetHashCode()

let pt = Point(5, 8)
printfn $"{pt.GetHashCode()}"

let pt2 = Point(8, 5)
printfn $"{pt2.GetHashCode()}"
// The example displays the following output:
//       173
//       269

Public Structure Point
    Private x As Integer
    Private y As Integer

    Public Sub New(x As Integer, y As Integer)
       Me.x = x
       Me.y = y
    End Sub
    
    Public Overrides Function Equals(obj As Object) As Boolean
       If Not TypeOf obj Is Point Then Return False
       
       Dim p As Point = CType(obj, Point)
       Return x = p.x And y = p.y
    End Function
    
    Public Overrides Function GetHashCode() As Integer 
        Return Tuple.Create(x, y).GetHashCode()
    End Function 
End Structure 

Public Module Example
    Public Sub Main() 
        Dim pt As New Point(5, 8)
        Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode())
        
        pt = New Point(8, 5)
        Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode())
    End Sub 
End Module         
' The example displays the following output:
'       173
'       269

A second alternative solution involves weighting the individual hash codes by left-shifting the hash codes of successive fields by two or more bits. Optimally, bits shifted beyond bit 31 should wrap around rather than be discarded. Since bits are discarded by the left-shift operators in both C# and Visual Basic, this requires creating a left shift-and-wrap method like the following:

public int ShiftAndWrap(int value, int positions)
{
    positions = positions & 0x1F;

    // Save the existing bit pattern, but interpret it as an unsigned integer.
    uint number = BitConverter.ToUInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes(value), 0);
    // Preserve the bits to be discarded.
    uint wrapped = number >> (32 - positions);
    // Shift and wrap the discarded bits.
    return BitConverter.ToInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes((number << positions) | wrapped), 0);
}

let shiftAndWrap (value: int) positions =
    let positions = positions &&& 0x1F

    // Save the existing bit pattern, but interpret it as an unsigned integer.
    let number = BitConverter.ToUInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes value, 0)
    // Preserve the bits to be discarded.
    let wrapped = number >>> (32 - positions)
    // Shift and wrap the discarded bits.
    BitConverter.ToInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes((number <<< positions) ||| wrapped), 0)

Public Function ShiftAndWrap(value As Integer, positions As Integer) As Integer
   positions = positions And &h1F
   
   ' Save the existing bit pattern, but interpret it as an unsigned integer.
   Dim number As UInteger = BitConverter.ToUInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes(value), 0)
   ' Preserve the bits to be discarded.
   Dim wrapped AS UInteger = number >> (32 - positions)
   ' Shift and wrap the discarded bits.
   Return BitConverter.ToInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes((number << positions) Or wrapped), 0)
End Function

The following example then uses this shift-and-wrap method to compute the hash code of the Point structure used in the previous examples.

using System;

public struct Point
{
    private int x;
    private int y;

    public Point(int x, int y)
    {
       this.x = x;
       this.y = y;
    }

    public override bool Equals(Object obj)
    {
       if (!(obj is Point)) return false;

       Point p = (Point) obj;
       return x == p.x & y == p.y;
    }

    public override int GetHashCode()
    {
        return ShiftAndWrap(x.GetHashCode(), 2) ^ y.GetHashCode();
    }

    private int ShiftAndWrap(int value, int positions)
    {
        positions = positions & 0x1F;

        // Save the existing bit pattern, but interpret it as an unsigned integer.
        uint number = BitConverter.ToUInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes(value), 0);
        // Preserve the bits to be discarded.
        uint wrapped = number >> (32 - positions);
        // Shift and wrap the discarded bits.
        return BitConverter.ToInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes((number << positions) | wrapped), 0);
    }
}

public class Example2
{
   public static void Main()
   {
        Point pt = new Point(5, 8);
        Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode());

        pt = new Point(8, 5);
        Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode());
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//       28
//       37

open System

[<Struct; CustomEquality; NoComparison>]
type Point(x: int, y: int) =
    member _.X = x
    member _.Y = y
    override _.Equals(obj) =
        match obj with
        | :? Point as p ->
            x = p.X && y = p.Y
        | _ -> 
            false

    override this.GetHashCode() =
        this.ShiftAndWrap(x.GetHashCode(), 2) ^^^ y.GetHashCode()

    member _.ShiftAndWrap(value, positions) =
        let positions = positions &&& 0x1F

        // Save the existing bit pattern, but interpret it as an unsigned integer.
        let number = BitConverter.ToUInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes value, 0)
        // Preserve the bits to be discarded.
        let wrapped = number >>> (32 - positions)
        // Shift and wrap the discarded bits.
        BitConverter.ToInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes((number <<< positions) ||| wrapped), 0)

let pt = Point(5, 8)
printfn $"{pt.GetHashCode()}"

let pt2 = Point(8, 5)
printfn $"{pt2.GetHashCode()}"
// The example displays the following output:
//       28
//       37

Public Structure Point5
    Private x As Integer
    Private y As Integer

    Public Sub New(x As Integer, y As Integer)
        Me.x = x
        Me.y = y
    End Sub

    Public Overrides Function Equals(obj As Object) As Boolean
        If Not TypeOf obj Is Point5 Then Return False

        Dim p As Point5 = CType(obj, Point5)
        Return x = p.x And y = p.y
    End Function

    Public Overrides Function GetHashCode() As Integer
        Return ShiftAndWrap(x.GetHashCode(), 2) Xor y.GetHashCode()
    End Function

    Private Function ShiftAndWrap(value As Integer, positions As Integer) As Integer
        positions = positions And &H1F

        ' Save the existing bit pattern, but interpret it as an unsigned integer.
        Dim number As UInteger = BitConverter.ToUInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes(value), 0)
        ' Preserve the bits to be discarded.
        Dim wrapped As UInteger = number >> (32 - positions)
        ' Shift and wrap the discarded bits.
        Return BitConverter.ToInt32(BitConverter.GetBytes((number << positions) Or wrapped), 0)
    End Function
End Structure

Module Example2
    Public Sub Main()
        Dim pt As New Point5(5, 8)
        Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode())

        pt = New Point5(8, 5)
        Console.WriteLine(pt.GetHashCode())
    End Sub
End Module
' The example displays the following output:
'       28
'       37

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System.Object.GetHashCode method

Notes for the Windows Runtime

Examples

Additional resources