Expand description
§Introduction
bc-lifehash is a method of hash visualization based on Conway’s Game of
Life that creates beautiful icons that are deterministic, yet distinct and
unique given the input data.
The basic concept is to take a SHA-256 hash of the input data (which can be any data including another hash) and then use the 256-bit digest as a 16x16 pixel “seed” for running the cellular automata known as Conway’s Game of Life. After the pattern becomes stable (or begins repeating) the resulting history is used to compile a grayscale image of all the states from the first to last generation. Using Game of Life provides visual structure to the resulting image, even though it was seeded with entropy. Some bits of the initial hash are then used to deterministically apply symmetry and color to the icon to add beauty and quick recognizability.
This is the first-party Rust implementation. It produces byte-identical output to the C++ reference implementation.
§Getting Started
[dependencies]
bc-lifehash = "0.1.0"§Versions
Five LifeHash versions are supported via the Version enum:
- Version1 / Version2 — 16x16 grid, up to 150 generations.
- Detailed — 32x32 grid, up to 300 generations, richer color gradients.
- Fiducial — 32x32, designed for use as fiducial markers.
- GrayscaleFiducial — Same as Fiducial but rendered in grayscale.
§Example
let image = bc_lifehash::make_from_utf8(
"Hello",
bc_lifehash::Version::Version2,
1,
false,
);
assert_eq!(image.width, 32);
assert_eq!(image.height, 32);
// image.colors contains RGB bytes (width * height * 3)