Hash table bucket count calculator
A hash table is only as fast as the array behind it is well sized. If you store n keys in m buckets, the load factor α = n / m decides how long chains grow, how soon open addressing clusters, and how often a resize will fire.
Run — free
Pick m too small and every lookup walks a pile of collisions. Pick m far too large and you pay RAM for empty slots that never help latency. This hash table bucket count calculator takes the expected item count, a target load factor such as the Java HashMap default of 0.75, and a rounding strategy, then returns the smallest allocatable table that keeps occupancy at or below that target. It first computes the raw ceiling ceil(n / α) and then rounds that floor up to the next power of two or the next prime — the two sizes production maps actually allocate. Power-of-two sizes match mask-based maps that index with hash bitwise-and (m minus one). Prime sizes match modulo-based maps that index with hash mod m. The same deterministic arithmetic powers the free browser widget and the API path, so a sizing notebook and a production pre-flight check never disagree on how large the bucket array should be.
How to use it
Enter your values in the form above. The tool checks them before calculating and shows the result on the same page.
Check your inputs
Use the labels and units shown next to each field. If something is missing or outside the allowed range, the page points to the field to fix.
Use it again or automate it
Use the browser tool for individual checks and the API when you need the same capability in an automated workflow.
What you can do with it
Get an answer now
Enter one set of values and see the result without building a spreadsheet or script.
Compare scenarios
Change one value at a time and rerun the calculation to understand what affects the result.
Automate repeated work
Use the API when the same calculation needs to run inside your product or workflow.
FAQ
How do I use this capability?
Complete the fields above and run it on this page. The form highlights anything that needs attention.
For developers — API access
Everything on this page is available programmatically. This section is for teams who want to wire it into their own systems; everyone else can just use the tool above.
API endpoint
Prefer to automate it? One authenticated POST creates the task; the result comes back by webhook or a signed link. The same capability also runs here on the web, by email and from Telegram — and soon from our app too.
Call it from your stack
curl -X POST https://api.kit.forhosting.com/dev/hash-table-capacity \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $KIT_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"items":1000,"load_factor":0.75}'const res = await fetch("https://api.kit.forhosting.com/dev/hash-table-capacity", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"Authorization": `Bearer ${process.env.KIT_KEY}`,
"Content-Type": "application/json"
},
body: JSON.stringify({
"items": 1000,
"load_factor": 0.75
})
});
const { task_id } = await res.json();import os, requests
res = requests.post(
"https://api.kit.forhosting.com/dev/hash-table-capacity",
headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {os.environ['KIT_KEY']}"},
json={
"items": 1000,
"load_factor": 0.75
},
)
task_id = res.json()["task_id"]<?php
$res = file_get_contents("https://api.kit.forhosting.com/dev/hash-table-capacity", false, stream_context_create([
"http" => [
"method" => "POST",
"header" => "Authorization: Bearer " . getenv("KIT_KEY") . "\r\nContent-Type: application/json",
"content" => '{"items":1000,"load_factor":0.75}',
],
]));
$task = json_decode($res, true);body := bytes.NewBufferString(`{"items":1000,"load_factor":0.75}`)
req, _ := http.NewRequest("POST", "https://api.kit.forhosting.com/dev/hash-table-capacity", body)
req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer "+os.Getenv("KIT_KEY"))
req.Header.Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)Example request
{
"items": 1000,
"load_factor": 0.75
}Example response
{
"task_id": "tsk_a1b2c3d4e5f6a1b2c3d4e5f6",
"type": "dev.hash_table_capacity",
"status": "queued",
"_links": {
"result": "/tasks/tsk_…/result"
}
}The API is asynchronous: the call returns a task_id immediately and the result arrives by webhook. Polling is capped at 1 req/s per task.
Pricing
Published price — no tokens, no invented credits. A failed task is never charged.
Limits
max_items | 1000000000 |
min_load_factor | 0.05 |
max_load_factor | 1 |
max_buckets | 34359738368 |
Errors
| HTTP | Code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
401 | unauthorized | Missing or invalid API key. |
402 | insufficient_balance | Your balance doesn't cover the task price. |
404 | unknown_type | That task type doesn't exist. |
429 | rate_limited | Too many requests. Use the webhook instead of polling. |