What Is Base64 Encoding?
Base64 represents bytes using a set of printable characters. It is useful for transporting data through text-oriented formats, but it is not encryption.
Base64 is a way to represent bytes as text. It maps groups of input bits to characters from a 64-character alphabet. The common alphabet uses uppercase and lowercase letters, digits, +, and /; = is commonly used for padding.
Why use Base64?
Some formats and protocols are designed to carry text. Base64 can represent arbitrary bytes using characters that are easier to include in those text contexts. It appears in places such as data URLs, MIME email bodies, and token formats.
Encoding adds overhead: a Base64 representation is generally longer than the original bytes. It is not a compression method.
Base64 is not encryption
Base64 does not use a secret key and does not make data confidential. Anyone who has the encoded value can decode it. Do not use Base64 as a way to protect passwords, API keys, or other sensitive data.
Text encoding matters
Base64 operates on bytes, not abstract characters. For Unicode text, the text must first be encoded into bytes, commonly UTF-8. Those bytes are then represented as Base64. The IndiaTechPro Base64 tool uses UTF-8 for text and reports values that do not decode as valid UTF-8.
Example
The UTF-8 bytes for Hello, world! are represented by this Base64 text:
SGVsbG8sIHdvcmxkIQ==Decoding the value returns the original text. For a value to be safely round-tripped, use the same byte/text encoding convention at both ends.