Use Base64 for Representation, Not Secrecy
Base64 represents bytes using a text alphabet.
Start with bytes
Base64 represents bytes using a text alphabet. This tool turns your input text into UTF-8 bytes first, which matters for accented characters and emoji. Treating every Unicode character as a single byte can break a round trip.
Choose the expected alphabet
Standard Base64 uses plus and slash; a URL-safe variant uses minus and underscore. Padding requirements can also differ between protocols. Select the format expected by the consumer rather than mixing alphabets.
Distinguish text from binary data
A valid Base64 string can decode to an image, archive or other binary data instead of readable text. This tool requires valid UTF-8 for its text result. A decoding error does not necessarily mean the original binary file was corrupt.
Do not encode a secret to protect it
Anyone with the encoded value can reverse Base64. It supplies no authentication, encryption or access control. Use appropriate security mechanisms for confidential data rather than relying on an unfamiliar-looking string.
Put it into practice
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Developer toolsBase64 Encoder & Decoder
Encode UTF-8 text as Base64 or decode standard and URL-safe Base64 back to text.
Developer tools