Base64 changes text into a set of letters and numbers that is easier to carry through systems that expect plain text. It does not hide the text. Base64 Text has two boxes: the top turns text into Base64, and the bottom turns it back.
Try a round trip
- Type
Hiinto the top Text box. The Base64 box below it should showSGk=. The=is part of the Base64 format. - Copy
SGk=into the lower Base64 input. The Text output should sayHiagain. This is a round trip: you changed the representation and then changed it back. - Try a word with an accent, such as
café. It should return as the same word after you encode and decode it. The tool handles the text as UTF-8 bytes, so it does not have to throw away the accent.
No button is needed: each output updates as you type. Each Copy button copies the result beside it, not the text in the other box.
If decoding fails
Check that you copied only the Base64 text. A missing character or an extra space inside the string can make it invalid. URL-safe changes two characters used by normal Base64 (+ and /) to - and _; select the matching option when decoding URL-safe input. It is still readable by anyone who decodes it, so do not use Base64 to protect a password or token.
Where your input goes
Processing runs in your browser. The tool does not upload your input to ilham.dev.
Related guide
For more background, read Security and Cryptography Basics for Developers.
Questions you might have
- What is URL-safe Base64 for?
- Standard Base64 uses + and /, both of which have to be escaped inside a URL. The URL-safe variant swaps them for - and _ so the value can sit in a query string or a filename untouched.
- Is Base64 a form of encryption?
- No. It is a reversible encoding with no key, and anyone can decode it. Use the AES tool if you need actual confidentiality.