Base64 encode a file
Turn a file into a block of plain text.
Base64 rewrites arbitrary bytes using only letters, digits and two punctuation marks, which lets a file travel through channels that only accept text — an email body, a configuration file, a data URL embedded in a stylesheet.
It is not encryption and it is not compression. The result is about a third larger than the original and can be decoded by anyone in a second.
Large files make very large text. A few hundred kilobytes is comfortable to paste anywhere; a video is not, and the editor you paste into will complain long before this page does.
Accepts: */*
Questions
- Is Base64 encryption?
- No, and this matters. Base64 is a way of writing bytes as plain letters and digits. Anyone can decode it instantly. It hides nothing.
- Why is the result bigger than the file?
- Base64 uses four characters for every three bytes, so expect about a third more.