If you've ever seen a long string of letters and numbers ending in ==, you've met Base64. It's one of the most common encodings on the web — and one of the most misunderstood.
What Base64 actually does
Base64 represents data using 64 safe characters (A–Z, a–z, 0–9, + and /). Its job is to carry data through systems that only handle plain text — email, JSON, HTML, URLs — without it getting corrupted.
A classic example is embedding a small image directly in a web page as a data: URL, or putting binary data inside a JSON field.
What Base64 is NOT
Base64 is not encryption and not security. Anyone can decode a Base64 string in one click. If you see a password or token that's "only Base64", treat it as plain text. Encoding ≠ protecting.
How to encode or decode
Open Base64 Encode / Decode, paste your text or Base64 string, and click Encode or Decode. It runs in your browser, so sensitive strings never leave your device.
Why strings end in =
The = characters are padding. Base64 works in blocks of 3 bytes → 4 characters; when the input doesn't divide evenly, padding fills the gap. It's normal and expected.
Learn more in what is Base64.