Encoding

Encoding tools convert data between representations. Nothing is uploaded — the conversion runs in your browser, so you can paste real payloads without them leaving your machine.

The Base64 encoder and decoder converts arbitrary data into a 64-character alphabet that survives systems built to handle text. That is why it turns up wherever binary data has to travel through a text-only channel: embedding images directly in CSS or HTML as data URIs, attaching files to email, encoding credentials in an HTTP Basic Authorization header, and carrying binary values inside JSON or XML. Decoding runs the process in reverse, which is handy for reading a JWT payload or working out what an opaque-looking string in a config file actually contains.

The caveat worth stating plainly: Base64 is not encryption. It provides no security whatsoever. Anything encoded can be decoded by anyone, instantly, with no key — including by this page. It is a transport format, not a way to hide a secret. Encoded data also grows by roughly a third, which is worth remembering before inlining large images.