Base64 Encoder / Decoder
Encode plain text to Base64 or decode Base64 strings back to readable text.
Tip: Base64 encoding uses only A–Z, a–z, 0–9, +, / and = characters. Encoded output is approximately 33% larger than the original.
About Base64 Encoding
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that converts binary data into an ASCII string format. It's commonly used when binary data needs to be stored or transferred over media designed for text, such as embedding images in HTML/CSS, encoding API credentials, or transmitting data over email.
When to Use Base64?
- Embedding images directly in HTML or CSS as data URIs
- Encoding API keys and tokens for HTTP Basic Authentication
- Storing binary data in JSON or XML formats
- Encoding email attachments (MIME encoding)
How It Works
Base64 works by taking every three bytes of binary data and converting them into four printable ASCII characters. The output uses 64 printable characters: A–Z (26), a–z (26), 0–9 (10), + and /. The = character is used as padding.