Base64 Encoder/Decoder
Encode and decode text to/from Base64 format for safe data transmission
Converter
Encoding
Text
About Base64 Encoding
What is Base64?
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data in an ASCII string format. It's commonly used for encoding data in email, URLs, and web applications.
Common Use Cases
- Email attachments (MIME)
- Data URLs in web development
- API authentication tokens
- Storing binary data in text formats
Character Set
Base64 uses 64 characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, and /. Padding is done with = characters when needed.
Privacy & Security
All encoding/decoding happens in your browser. No data is sent to our servers, ensuring your information stays private.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is Base64 an encryption method?
No, Base64 is an encoding scheme, not encryption. It offers no security and is easily reversible.
Is Base64 encoding secure?
No. Since it can be decoded by anyone, it should not be used to protect sensitive data. For security, you must encrypt the data before encoding it.
How does Base64 encoding affect data size?
It is not for compression. Base64 increases the original data size by approximately 33%.
If Base64 is not secure and increases file size, why is it needed?
The main reason is compatibility. Many systems are built to handle only text. Raw binary data can contain special characters that corrupt data or break these systems. Base64 converts the data into a 'safe' text format that can be reliably transmitted, making the increased size a necessary trade-off for data integrity.
What does Base64 encoded data look like?
It is a string consisting of uppercase letters (A-Z), lowercase letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and the symbols '+' and '/'.
Why does a Base64 string sometimes end with '=' or '=='?
The '=' character is used as padding. It is added to the end to ensure the total length of the encoded string is a multiple of 4.
How does Base64 work?
It takes binary data, divides it into 6-bit chunks, and maps each chunk to a character in the 64-character Base64 alphabet.
How do I implement Base64 encoding?
You typically do not need to write an encoder from scratch. Most programming languages (like Java, Python, JavaScript) have built-in libraries to handle it.