What is Base64 Encoding (and When to Use It)
June 5, 2026 · By Toolzy Team
What it does
Base64 encodes binary data (like images) into a set of 64 safe ASCII characters, so it can travel through systems built for text, email, JSON, data URIs.
It is not encryption
Base64 is fully reversible and offers zero security. Never use it to hide passwords.
Good use cases
- Embedding small images directly in CSS/HTML with data URIs
- Encoding binary in JSON payloads
- Basic auth headers
The trade-off
Base64 increases size by ~33%. Use it only for small assets. Try our Base64 Encode/Decode tools to experiment.