What is Base64 Encoding?

Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data in an ASCII string format. It encodes binary data using 64 different characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /) and is commonly used for encoding data in formats that require text-only content.

Common Uses of Base64

• Web Development: Embedding images in CSS/HTML, data URIs
• API Communication: Sending binary data over text-based protocols
• Email Attachments: Encoding binary files for email transmission
• Authentication: Encoding credentials and tokens
• Data Storage: Storing binary data in text-based databases

How Base64 Encoding Works

Base64 encoding takes 3 bytes (24 bits) of binary data and converts them into 4 characters (6 bits each). If the input data length is not divisible by 3, padding characters (=) are added to make the output length a multiple of 4.

Base64 Encoder/Decoder Features

• Encode text to Base64 format
• Decode Base64 strings back to readable text
• Error handling for invalid Base64 input
• Copy to clipboard functionality
• Clear all fields option

Base64 vs Other Encodings

Base64 is more efficient than hexadecimal encoding (which uses 2 characters per byte) but less efficient than binary formats. It's widely supported and human-readable compared to other encoding schemes.