Base64 Encoding/Decoding is a method of converting binary data into an ASCII string format by encoding it into a set of 64 printable characters. It is widely used in various applications such as encoding binary data for email transmission, storing data in databases, and embedding images in web pages.
Base64 Encoding
Base64 encoding transforms binary data into a text format by dividing the data into chunks of 6 bits and mapping them to one of 64 different ASCII characters. These characters include letters, digits, plus (+), and slash (/).
Base64 Encoding Process:
The binary data is divided into chunks of 6 bits.
Each 6-bit chunk is then mapped to a character from a set of 64 characters.
If the input data's length isn't a multiple of 3, padding (=) is added to make the final output length a multiple of 4.
Base64 Decode
Base64 decoding is the reverse process where the encoded string is converted back into its original binary format.
Base64 Decoding Process:
Base64 characters are mapped back to their corresponding 6-bit binary values.
The 6-bit chunks are combined back to restore the original data.
Padding (=) is removed from the final result.
Base64 Encoding Example
Let's say we want to encode the string "Hello" into Base64:
ASCII of "Hello" in binary: 01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111
Divide it into 6-bit chunks: 010010 000110 010101 101100 011011 000110 1111
Each 6-bit chunk is mapped to a character in the Base64 set:
010010 = S
000110 = G
010101 = V
101100 = s
011011 = b
000110 = G
1111 = 8 (the last part will be padded)
Resulting Base64 encoded string: "SGVsbG8="
Base64 Decode Example
To decode the Base64 encoded string "SGVsbG8=" back to "Hello":
Remove the padding (=).
Reverse the Base64 decoding process by mapping each character back to its 6-bit binary equivalent and then grouping them into 8-bit chunks to obtain the original text.
Base64 Encoding and Decoding Tools
You can use Base64 encoding/decoding for:
Text strings: Encode text into Base64 or decode it back to the original text.
Files: Encode file content into Base64 and decode it to reconstruct the file.