A simple implementation of Merkle tree root calculation in Rust using SHA256 hashing.

• SHA256 Hashing: Uses the SHA256 algorithm to hash transaction data
• Merkle Tree Construction: Builds a binary tree bottom-up from transaction hashes
• Odd Number Handling: Automatically duplicates the last hash when dealing with odd numbers of transactions
• Comprehensive Tests: Full test suite covering various scenarios

Computes SHA256 hash of input data and returns it as a hexadecimal string.

Calculates the Merkle root from a list of transactions by:

1. Hashing each transaction to create leaf nodes
2. Building the tree bottom-up by pairing and hashing nodes
3. Handling odd numbers by duplicating the last hash
4. Returning the final root hash

let transactions = vec![
    "tx1".to_string(),
    "tx2".to_string(),
    "tx3".to_string(),
    "tx4".to_string()
];

let merkle_root = calculate_merkle_root(&transactions);
println!("Merkle Root: {}", merkle_root);

cargo test

• sha2 - SHA256 hashing implementation

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.