What's the best way to create a short hash, similar to what tiny Url does?

Question

I\'m currently using MD5 hashes but I would like to find something that will create a shorter hash that uses just [a-z][A-Z][0-9]. It only needs to be around 5-

Answer 1

I dont think URL shortening services use hashes, I think they just have a running alphanumerical string that is increased with every new URL and stored in a database. If you really need to use a hash function have a look at this link: some hash functions Also, a bit offtopic but depending on what you are working on this might be interesting: Coding Horror article