hash - What is the most secure hashing method? (PHP)

Question

I have just noticed that I have SHA512 in my PHP installation. Is it more secure than SHA1? Is it the most secure hashing method (I need for passwords, not for file integrity checking)?

Answer 1

In response to @Buddy, speed is not your friend when hashing; the slower the better. If someone is trying to brute force your password, an algorithm that takes a long time will mean the hack will take a long time.