Base64 Encoder and Decoder
Encode plain text into Base64 format or decode Base64 strings back into readable text. The tool shows conversion statistics including input size, output size, and encoding overhead percentage.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Base64 encoding?
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data using 64 ASCII characters: A through Z, a through z, 0 through 9, plus (+), and slash (/). It is commonly used to embed binary data in text-based formats like JSON, XML, email (MIME), and data URIs in HTML.
Why does Base64 make data larger?
Base64 encodes every 3 bytes of input as 4 ASCII characters, resulting in approximately 33% size overhead. This tradeoff exists because Base64 restricts output to safe printable characters, which is necessary for transmission through text-only channels that might corrupt raw binary data.
What are common uses of Base64?
Base64 is used to embed images in HTML and CSS via data URIs, encode email attachments (MIME encoding), transmit binary data in JSON APIs, store binary blobs in text-based configuration files, and encode authentication credentials in HTTP Basic Auth headers.