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Base64 is not encryption

Why encoding is not secrecy — and what to use instead.

Why base64 encryption?

Base64 is not encryption is one of the most common tasks developers hit when working with APIs, files, email attachments, and data URIs.

More Base64 guides on base64app — with copy-paste code and a free browser tool you can use without installing anything.

Quick reference

Base64 maps every 3 bytes to 4 ASCII characters. Padding with = may appear at the end. URL-safe variants swap +/ for -_.

When in doubt, paste your string into the tool below — base64app auto-repairs whitespace, data: prefixes, and padding issues.

Copy-paste code

JavaScript (browser)

// Decode base64 to UTF-8 text
const text = atob('SGVsbG8sIGJhc2U2NGFwcCE=');
console.log(text);

// Decode to Uint8Array (binary-safe)
const binary = atob('SGVsbG8sIGJhc2U2NGFwcCE=');
const bytes = Uint8Array.from(binary, (c) => c.charCodeAt(0));

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