Base64 Encoding & Decoding Explained — What It Is and How to Use It

What Is Base64 Encoding?

Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that converts binary data into a string of ASCII characters. It uses 64 characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, and /.

Why Is Base64 Used?

• Email attachments — MIME encoding for sending binary files over text-based email
• Data URLs — embedding images directly in HTML/CSS
• API authentication — Basic Auth headers use Base64
• JWT tokens — the payload and header are Base64url encoded
• Storing binary in JSON — JSON doesn't support raw binary data

How to Encode/Decode Base64 Online

1. Visit our Base64 Encoder/Decoder

2. Choose "Encode" or "Decode" mode

3. Paste your text

4. Get instant results — no signup, no server upload

Base64 in Different Languages

JavaScript: btoa('Hello') → SGVsbG8=

Python: base64.b64encode(b'Hello')

Java: Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(bytes)

Important: Base64 Is NOT Encryption

Base64 is an encoding, not encryption. Anyone can decode Base64 data. Never use it to "protect" sensitive information — use AES Encryption instead.

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