Base64 Converter
Encode text to Base64 or decode Base64 strings back to plain text. Useful for API authentication, data transfer, and configuration files.
Text to Encode
Base64 Output
Input Length
0
characters
Output Length
0
characters
Size Ratio
0%
output/input
About Base64
Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data in an ASCII string format. It's commonly used for:
- Email attachments (MIME)
- Basic HTTP authentication
- Data URLs (embedding images in HTML/CSS)
- Storing binary data in JSON/XML
- JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
Base64 Character Sets
| Type | Characters | Padding | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | A-Z a-z 0-9 + / |
= |
General purpose |
| URL Safe | A-Z a-z 0-9 - _ |
= (often omitted) |
URLs, filenames |
| MIME | A-Z a-z 0-9 + / |
= |
Email attachments |
Common Examples
| Text | Base64 Encoded |
|---|---|
Hello World | SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ= |
MotesElectronics | TW90ZXNFbGVjdHJvbmljcw== |
admin:password | YWRtaW46cGFzc3dvcmQ= |
Base64 Encoding Process
Base64 encoding works by:
- Taking 3 bytes (24 bits) of binary data
- Splitting them into 4 groups of 6 bits each
- Converting each 6-bit value to a character from the Base64 alphabet
- Adding padding (
=) if the input length isn't a multiple of 3
Note: Base64 increases data size by approximately 33%. For example, 3 bytes become 4 characters.