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Base64 Encoder / Decoder

Free online Base64 encoder and decoder — text, file, and URL-safe

Base64 encoding is a daily task for developers working with APIs, JWTs, images, and authentication headers. MyDevTools Base64 tool handles standard encoding, URL-safe Base64, and file input — all in the browser, no install.

Open Base64 Tool

Standard Base64 vs Base64URL

Standard Base64 uses + and / which are unsafe in URLs. Base64URL substitutes - and _ and drops padding — essential for JWTs, OAuth tokens, and URL query parameters.

  • Standard Base64: use for email attachments, binary in JSON, image data URIs.
  • Base64URL: use for JWTs, URL parameters, and any context where + and / break parsing.
  • MyDevTools Base64 tool handles both modes in one place.

When Base64 encoding appears in developer workflows

Base64 shows up in API authentication, JWT payloads, data URIs, and binary field serialization.

  • HTTP Basic Auth encodes credentials as Base64 in the Authorization header.
  • JWT header and payload are Base64URL-encoded sections.
  • Image data URIs embed Base64-encoded bytes directly in HTML or CSS.

Verdict

Any online Base64 encoder produces correct output for text input. MyDevTools adds file input, URL-safe mode, and related tools in one place.

  • Best for text encoding: any online tool.
  • Best for file + URL-safe + toolkit context: MyDevTools.
  • Best open-source option: MyDevTools.

Common comparison questions

Is Base64 the same as encryption?

No. Base64 is a reversible encoding that anyone can decode without a key. Use it to make binary data text-safe, not to protect secrets.

Why does my Base64 output end with == ?

Base64 works on 3-byte groups. = padding fills out the last group when the input length is not divisible by 3.