title: How to generate a checksum for an java object
body: <p>I'm looking for a solution to generate a checksum for any type of Java object, which remains the same for every execution of an application that produces the same object.</p>
  
  <p>I tried it with <a href="http://java.sun.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/lang/Object.html#hashCode()" rel="noreferrer"><code>Object.hashCode()</code></a>, but the api says</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>....This integer need not remain consistent from one execution of an application to another execution of the same application. </p>
  </blockquote>