SHA-384 generator
What SHA-384 is
SHA-384 is not a separate cipher—it is SHA-512 with different IV constants and truncated to 384 bits (96 hex chars). You often see it beside elliptic curves such as secp384r1 in government procurement checklists because digest length matches cipher strength tiers.
When to pick it
Your standard says so—otherwise SHA-256 may suffice for general integrity. Avoid cargo-culting longer digests without understanding threat models.
Note
Speed on 64-bit CPUs still tracks SHA-512 internals; tiny payloads pay more output bytes than SHA-256.
Mix with SHA-256?
Keep algorithms consistent inside a protocol; hybrids complicate audits.