What is Base64 Encoding?
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data in an ASCII string format by translating it into a radix-64 representation. It's commonly used when there's a need to encode binary data that needs to be stored and transferred over media that are designed to deal with text.
Common Uses for Base64:
- Embedding image data directly in HTML/CSS
- Sending binary data in email body content
- Storing complex data in XML
- Transferring data in URLs
- Basic authentication mechanisms
How to Use This Tool:
- Enter text in the input field
- Click "Encode to Base64" to convert plain text to Base64
- Click "Decode from Base64" to convert Base64 back to plain text
- Use the "Copy" button to copy the result to your clipboard
- Click "Clear" to reset both fields
Understanding Base64
Base64 encoding uses 64 different ASCII characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /) to represent binary data. Every 3 bytes of binary data are encoded into 4 Base64 characters. If the input data length is not divisible by 3, padding characters (=) are added to make the output length divisible by 4.
Important Notes
- Base64 is not encryption - it's just encoding and can be easily decoded
- Base64 increases the size of data by approximately 33%
- Use Base64 for data representation, not for security purposes
- Always validate Base64 strings before attempting to decode them