Base64 Encoder/Decoder
Encode and decode Base64 strings
About Base64 Encoding
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data in an ASCII string format. It's commonly used to encode binary data for transmission over media designed to handle text, such as email attachments, data URLs, and embedding images in HTML/CSS.
How It Works
Base64 encoding converts binary data into a set of 64 ASCII characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /). Every 3 bytes of input data is converted to 4 Base64 characters, resulting in approximately 33% size increase.
Common Uses
- Embedding images directly in HTML/CSS (Data URLs)
- Encoding email attachments (MIME)
- Transmitting binary data over JSON/XML
- Basic authentication headers in HTTP
- Storing binary data in text-based databases
- URL-safe data transmission
Important Notes
- Base64 is NOT encryption - it's encoding for transport
- Anyone can decode Base64 strings
- Use encryption for security, not Base64
- Encoded data is approximately 33% larger than original
- Perfect for non-sensitive binary-to-text conversion