Text, deep down, is just numbers — each character maps to a byte value. Binary, hexadecimal and Base64 are three ways of writing those same bytes down. They look very different, but they're all describing the same underlying data.
Binary: the raw bits
Every byte is eight bits — eight 0s and 1s. Binary is how the machine actually stores data, but it's long and hard to read. Try it with Text to Binary.
Hexadecimal: compact bytes
Hex writes each byte as two digits (0–9 and A–F), so it's four times shorter than binary and lines up neatly with bytes. It's everywhere in programming — colours, memory addresses, hashes. See it with Text to Hex.
Base64: text-safe transport
Base64 re-packs bytes into a set of 64 safe characters so binary data can travel through systems built for text — email, JSON, data URLs. It makes data about a third larger, and it is not encryption: anyone can decode it. Use Base64 Encode / Decode to see how.
Which should you use?
- Binary for learning or low-level work.
- Hex for compact, byte-aligned representation in code and debugging.
- Base64 for safely carrying binary data as text.
None of them hides anything — for secrecy you need real encryption, and for a fingerprint you need a hash.