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, JSON web tokens, and data URLs. The encoding ensures that the data remains intact without modification during transport.

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

Why learn Base64?

Developers should learn Base64 encoding when they need to embed binary data in text-based protocols, such as including images in HTML/CSS via data URLs, attaching files in emails using MIME, or transmitting binary data in JSON or XML formats. It is essential for web development, API design, and data serialization where binary data must be safely handled in environments that only support ASCII characters.

Learning Resources

• docs: MDN Web Docs: Base64
• docs: Wikipedia: Base64
• video: Base64 Encoding Explained (Video)
• tutorial: Base64 Encoding and Decoding in JavaScript
• docs: RFC 4648: The Base16, Base32, and Base64 Data Encodings