Base64 Encode/Decode Tool

Base64 Encode & Decode Online by viewtools

Base64 encoding is a format devised to safeguard against communication “anomalies” during the transmission of binary data. It accomplishes this by converting binary data into an ASCII character stream using a “lookup table,” making it suitable for transmission and subsequent decoding. It’s important to note that base64 encoding does not compress data, and it doesn’t provide encryption; instead, it utilizes a “standard” character table for encoding and decoding data. In essence, any base-64 string can be decoded if it was encoded using the standard character set that the decoder can recognize.

Revised Uses for Base64:

In addition to its common use for securely encoding image and media data (you may have encountered images on the web encoded in the format like this: data:image/png;base64,(…)), Base64 finds applications in SSL certificates, email transmissions, and virtually any data transfer scenario where the inclusion of special (control) characters necessitates escaping.

Revised Encoding Base64:

Although many programming languages (e.g., Java, Python, JS) offer built-in functions for facilitating base64 encoding of binary data, the underlying algorithm is relatively straightforward. Base64 divides a binary string into 6-bit groups (note: each binary digit in a string represents one bit) of three bytes, resulting in an ASCII-readable string suitable for secure transmission and reception.

To illustrate the encoding process with simplicity, let’s consider a short string, “hi,” with ASCII equivalents of 104 (h) and 105 (i).

First, convert the ASCII string to its binary representation:
        01101000 01101001 (0110100001101001 without spaces)

        Next, divide the binary representation into 6-bit groups:
        011010 000110 100100

Revised Base64 Encoding & Decoding Lookup Table:

Using the binary representation of our string, we can then employ the ASCII lookup table provided above to obtain the following ASCII characters for our string’s binary representation:

011010 => "a"
        000110 => "G"
        100100 => "k"

Before completing the conversion process, it’s crucial to address the missing padding: base64 strings must consist of groups of 3 characters (6-byte binary representations). Since our “hi” string only has 2 characters, we must insert an “=” at the end to form a valid base64 string.

The final result is “aGk=” (hi).

Revised Decoding Base64:

Decoding base64 strings follows a similar process in reverse. Using the result from the previous section (“aGk=”), we will utilize the same Base64 lookup table:

"a" => 011010
        "G" => 000110
        "k" => 100100
        "=" => padding

This gives us three 6-bit binary groups:

011010 000110 100100

When converting this back to 8-bit groups, we get (the last two zeroes can be ignored):

01101000 01101001

This results in “hi” in ASCII.

Revised Conclusion:

Whether you are transmitting an email or encoding binary streams like images or videos, base64 encoding can be found in numerous applications. While the resulting strings may be larger, using base64 encoding is a dependable method to ensure that binary information is never “misinterpreted” during transmission.

For using tool https://viewtools.website/base64-encode-decode-online/