Base64

Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that represents binary data in an ASCII string format by translating it into a radix-64 representation. It is commonly used to encode data that needs to be stored and transferred over media designed to deal with textual data, such as email attachments, web URLs, and data URIs. This encoding ensures that the data remains intact without modification during transport.

Also known as: Base 64, Base-64, B64, Radix-64, MIME Base64

Why learn Base64?

Developers should learn Base64 when they need to embed binary data, such as images or files, into text-based formats like JSON, XML, or HTML, or when transmitting data over protocols that only support ASCII characters, such as email or HTTP headers. It is essential for handling data in web development, API integrations, and security contexts like encoding credentials or cryptographic keys.

Learning Resources

• docs: MDN Web Docs: Base64
• docs: Wikipedia: Base64
• tutorial: Base64 Encoding and Decoding Tutorial
• tutorial: GeeksforGeeks: Base64 Encoding
• video: YouTube: Base64 Encoding Explained