Base64 Encoder & Decoder
Convert text to Base64 and decode Base64 strings instantly
Text to Base64
Base64 to Text
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All encoding and decoding happens in your browser. No data is sent to servers.
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Perfect for API testing, data transmission, and web development tasks.
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Understanding Base64 Encoding
Base64 is a encoding scheme that converts binary data into ASCII characters using a set of 64 printable characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /). It's commonly used in web development for data transmission, storing complex data in text format, and embedding images in HTML/CSS.
Common Use Cases
- API authentication (Basic Auth headers)
- Data URLs for embedding images in CSS/HTML
- Email attachments in MIME format
- Encoding binary data for JSON transmission
- URL-safe data encoding (with Base64URL variant)
- Configuration file data storage
How Base64 Works
Text: "Hello" → Base64: "SGVsbG8="
Text: "World!" → Base64: "V29ybGQh"
Base64 encoding increases the data size by approximately 33% due to the conversion process. The "=" characters at the end are padding to ensure the encoded string length is divisible by 4.
Security Note: Base64 is an encoding method, not encryption. It's easily reversible and should not be used for security purposes. Anyone can decode Base64 strings to reveal the original content.
Character Set
Base64 uses 64 characters: uppercase letters (A-Z), lowercase letters (a-z), digits (0-9), plus (+), and slash (/). Some variants use different characters for the last two positions to make the encoding URL-safe.