Base64 Encoder / Decoder

What is Base64 encoding?

Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data using 64 printable ASCII characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /). It was designed to safely transmit binary data through systems that only handle text, such as email (MIME) and HTTP headers.

Why is Base64 used?

Base64 is used to encode binary data (images, files, credentials) for safe transmission in text-based protocols. Common uses include HTTP Basic Auth headers (username:password encoded as Base64), embedding images directly in HTML/CSS as data URIs, JWT tokens, and API authentication tokens.

Is Base64 encoding the same as encryption?

No. Base64 is an encoding scheme, not encryption. It provides no confidentiality — anyone can decode Base64 data without any key. Never use Base64 to protect sensitive data. For security, use proper encryption (AES, RSA) or hashing (bcrypt, SHA-256).

How much does Base64 encoding increase data size?

Base64 encoding increases data size by approximately 33%. Every 3 bytes of input produce 4 Base64 characters. Padding characters (=) are added to make the total length a multiple of 4.

What characters are used in Base64?

Standard Base64 uses A-Z (26 chars), a-z (26 chars), 0-9 (10 chars), + and / (2 chars) = 64 characters total, plus = for padding. URL-safe Base64 (used in JWTs and URL params) replaces + with - and / with _ to avoid URL encoding issues.

Can I encode binary files (images, PDFs) with this tool?

This tool encodes text input to Base64. For encoding binary files like images or PDFs, you would typically use a file input. However, you can paste Base64-encoded binary data here to decode it back to the original text representation.