🔄 Base64 Converter
Encode and decode text or files to/from Base64 format
Converter Settings
About Base64
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data as ASCII text. It's commonly used for transmitting data over text-based protocols.
Input
Base64 Output
Encoded result will appear here
Enter text or upload a file to see the Base64 encoded output
Base64 Use Cases
📧 Email Attachments
Base64 encoding is used to send binary files (images, documents) through email systems that only support text.
🌐 Data URLs
Embed images directly in HTML/CSS using Base64 data URLs (data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgo...).
🔗 API Integration
Many APIs require binary data to be Base64 encoded when sending through JSON or XML.
💾 Data Storage
Store binary data in text-based databases or configuration files safely using Base64 encoding.
What is Base64 Encoding?
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that converts binary data into a base-64 representation using 64 ASCII characters. It's designed to carry data stored in binary formats across channels that only reliably support text content.
How Base64 Works
- •Takes binary data and converts it to ASCII text
- •Uses 64 characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /
- •Groups binary data into 6-bit chunks
- •Padding with '=' characters when needed
- •Results in 33% size increase from original
Common Applications
- •Email attachment encoding (MIME)
- •Web development (data URLs)
- •API data transmission
- •Database storage of binary data
- •Configuration files and XML/JSON
Technical Specifications
Character Set
A-Z: Values 0-25
a-z: Values 26-51
0-9: Values 52-61
+: Value 62
/: Value 63
Encoding Process
1. Convert input to binary
2. Group into 24-bit chunks
3. Split into four 6-bit groups
4. Map to Base64 characters
5. Add padding if necessary
Size Impact
Original: 3 bytes (24 bits)
Encoded: 4 characters (32 bits)
Increase: ~33% larger
Efficiency: 6 bits per character
Padding: 0-2 '=' characters
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Base64 encryption?
No, Base64 is encoding, not encryption. It's designed for data transmission and storage, not security. Anyone can easily decode Base64 text back to its original form.
Why does Base64 make files larger?
Base64 uses only 64 printable ASCII characters to represent binary data. This limitation means it can only carry 6 bits of information per character instead of 8, resulting in approximately 33% size increase.
When should I use Base64?
Use Base64 when you need to transmit binary data through text-only channels like email, JSON APIs, XML files, or when embedding small images directly in HTML/CSS as data URLs.
What's the difference between Base64 and other encodings?
Base64 uses 64 characters and is widely supported. Base32 uses 32 characters (more reliable but less efficient), while Base16 (hexadecimal) uses 16 characters and doubles the size.
Can Base64 handle any file type?
Yes, Base64 can encode any binary data including images (PNG, JPG, GIF), documents (PDF, DOC), archives (ZIP, RAR), executables, and any other file format.
Is there a size limit for Base64 encoding?
Base64 itself has no size limit, but practical limitations exist based on your use case. Web browsers may limit data URL sizes, and some systems have memory constraints for large files.
Best Practices & Tips
✅ Do's
- •Use for small to medium-sized files
- •Validate Base64 before decoding
- •Remove whitespace and line breaks
- •Handle UTF-8 encoding properly
- •Use for API data transmission
- •Consider gzip compression first
❌ Don'ts
- •Don't use for large files (>1MB)
- •Don't rely on it for security
- •Don't encode already compressed files
- •Don't ignore character encoding issues
- •Don't use in URLs without URL encoding
- •Don't forget about 33% size increase