Base64 is an encoding algorithm used to alter text and binary streams into printable and easy-to-process form to be consumed by various programs as well as transmitted over the network.
Base64 encoding is generally achieved by splitting a stream or block of data into 6-bit fragments and interpreting
each fragment as the position in the following series of characters. Therefore the encoding yields data selected from 64 possible characters
comprising:
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/
After the Base64 encoded block is obtained it is ready to be processed, or transmitted, for example for MIME content transfer encoding used in email transmission.
Base64 decoding employs a reverse algorithm to yield the original content. While Base64 encoding alters the original content, it is not suitable as an encryption mechanism as it can be easily decoded to reveal the original content. For that there are various encryption algorithms and products to be used. PGP is one of the better known encryption products.
Use the form to encode or decode a block of text using Base64. Just paste in the data and click on the Encode or Decode buttons and you will receive the results. Please note, decrypting could return binary data or character formats not supported for viewing. This will result in strange or junk characters being displayed on the page.