Base64 Encoding: What It Is and How to Use It

What Is Base64 Encoding? Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that converts binary data into a string of ASCII characters. It uses a set of 64 characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /) plus = for padding. Base64 is not encryption — it is a reversible encoding used to safely transmit binary data through text-only channels. How Base64 Works: The 6-Bit Encoding Process Base64 works by splitting binary data into 6-bit chunks and mapping each chunk to one of 64 printable ASCII characters. Here is the step-by-step process: Take the input bytes (8 bits each) Concatenate all bits into a continuous stream Split the stream into 6-bit groups Map each 6-bit value (0-63) to a character from the Base64 alphabet Pad with = if the input length is not divisible by 3 Encoding Example: "Hi" ASCII: H i Decimal: 72 105 Binary: 01001000 01101001 Split into 6-bit groups: 010010 000110 1001xx Pad the last group with zeros: 010010 000110 100100 Base64 index: 18 6 36 Character: S G k Add padding (input was 2 bytes