What Is Base64 Encoding? How It Works and Why You Might Need It
Whether you’re working on a website, an API, or handling file conversions, Base64 encoding is a handy tool every developer should understand. In this post, we’ll break down what Base64 is, how it works, and how you can use it online for free.
What Is Base64 Encoding?
Base64 is a way to encode binary data—like images or files—into a text format using only readable ASCII characters. This is especially useful when you need to embed or transmit binary data over channels that are text-only, such as JSON, XML, or HTML.
Why Use Base64?
- 📤 Send files via email or web forms without corruption
- 🧾 Embed images in HTML or CSS using data URIs
- 🔐 Store encrypted or binary data in a text database
- 🌐 Transmit data over APIs or HTTP without issues
How Does Base64 Encoding Work?
Base64 takes binary input and divides it into 6-bit chunks. Each chunk is then mapped to a character from a fixed set of 64 characters: A–Z, a–z, 0–9, + and /. It may also use “=” for padding to maintain alignment.
Try It Online — Base64 Encoder & Decoder
Use our free, fast, and secure tools right in your browser:
Common Use Cases
- 📷 Embedding base64 images in emails or CSS
- 🔑 Handling authorization headers in APIs
- 📦 Storing small files directly inside JSON or XML
FAQs About Base64
No. Base64 is not encryption—it’s just encoding. It can be reversed easily.
Yes, many applications use Base64 to encode file contents like images or PDFs for transmission.
Base64 increases file size by ~33%. Large files might slow down browsers.