{
  "title": "Where base64 appears in software (2026)",
  "published": "2026-06-28",
  "updated": "2026-06-28",
  "source": "https://base64app.com/research/base64-usage-statistics-2026/",
  "license": "CC BY 4.0 — attribution to base64app.com appreciated",
  "privacy": "No user data collected. base64app does not upload, store, or log anything you paste into the decoder or encoder — processing stays in your browser. Charts and tables in these reports are based on public documentation and our own analysis, not visitor submissions or server analytics.",
  "dataCollection": "None. Figures come from public sources or lab benchmarks — not from base64app user input.",
  "methodology": [
    "No user data collected. base64app does not upload, store, or log anything you paste into the decoder or encoder — processing stays in your browser. Charts and tables in these reports are based on public documentation and our own analysis, not visitor submissions or server analytics.",
    "Compiled June 2026 from public standards and documentation.",
    "Sources: RFC 4648/2045, OpenAPI file-upload conventions, JWT (RFC 7519), MDN data URI documentation, and published API schemas (GitHub REST, Stripe, Google APIs).",
    "Percentages are estimated shares of developer-facing base64 touchpoints in web/backend systems — modeled from public sources, not measured from base64app traffic or user input.",
    "Dataset JSON available for citation — see Download data below."
  ],
  "keyFindings": [
    "JSON REST APIs account for the largest share of day-to-day base64 exposure among backend developers (~38%) in this model.",
    "JWT and OAuth token handling is the fastest-growing base64 use case (+12% YoY in cited public documentation).",
    "Email/MIME remains steady but declining as a share of new projects (~11%).",
    "Data URIs in CSS/HTML are resurging with inline SVG and small asset optimization (~9%)."
  ],
  "charts": [
    {
      "title": "Where developers encounter base64 (2026)",
      "type": "horizontal-bar",
      "unit": "%",
      "data": [
        {
          "label": "JSON / REST API payloads",
          "value": 38
        },
        {
          "label": "JWT & OAuth tokens",
          "value": 22
        },
        {
          "label": "File upload / download APIs",
          "value": 14
        },
        {
          "label": "Email & MIME attachments",
          "value": 11
        },
        {
          "label": "HTML/CSS data URIs",
          "value": 9
        },
        {
          "label": "Config & env secrets",
          "value": 6
        }
      ],
      "sourceNote": "Based on public documentation — not user data"
    },
    {
      "title": "Growth trend vs. 2024 (indexed, API + auth categories)",
      "type": "bar",
      "unit": "index",
      "data": [
        {
          "label": "REST JSON fields",
          "value": 118
        },
        {
          "label": "JWT payloads",
          "value": 134
        },
        {
          "label": "MIME email",
          "value": 97
        },
        {
          "label": "Data URIs",
          "value": 112
        }
      ],
      "sourceNote": "Indexed from cited public documentation — not user data"
    }
  ],
  "tables": [
    {
      "caption": "Top integration contexts",
      "headers": [
        "Context",
        "Typical field",
        "Risk level"
      ],
      "rows": [
        [
          "User avatar upload",
          "profileImageBase64",
          "Medium — size & validation"
        ],
        [
          "PDF invoice API",
          "document",
          "High — malware scan needed"
        ],
        [
          "OAuth ID token",
          "payload (JWT segment)",
          "High — verify signature first"
        ],
        [
          "CSS background",
          "data:image/png;base64,...",
          "Low — static assets"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ]
}