A common misconception is that Base64 encoding is a form of security. It is not. Base64 is a way to represent binary data using only readable ASCII characters, so that it can be safely embedded in places that expect text — like JSON payloads, email attachments, or HTML data URIs.
Because Base64 uses a fixed, publicly known alphabet, anyone can decode it instantly with no key required. If you need to protect sensitive information, use real encryption, not encoding.
Common uses
Embedding small images directly into CSS or HTML, sending binary attachments over text-based protocols like email (MIME), and passing binary tokens through systems that only accept plain text. Try it yourself with our Base64 Encode and Base64 Decode tools.