Introduction to Base64 Encoding

Base64 is a group of binary-to-text encoding schemes that represent binary data (more specifically, a sequence of 8-bit bytes) in a sequence of 24-bit symbols. Each Base64 digit represents exactly 6 bits of data. This encoding scheme is commonly used to ensure that binary data remains intact when transported over media designed to deal with textual data.

Base64 Encoding in Various Languages

Python

In Python, you can use the built-in base64 module to perform Base64 encoding and decoding:

  import base64

  # Encode
  data = "Hello, World!"
  encoded_data = base64.b64encode(data.encode('utf-8'))
  print("Encoded:", encoded_data)

  # Decode
  decoded_data = base64.b64decode(encoded_data).decode('utf-8')
  print("Decoded:", decoded_data)

JavaScript

In JavaScript, you can use the built-in btoa and atob functions to work with Base64 encoding:

  const data = "Hello, World!";

  // Encode
  const encodedData = btoa(data);
  console.log("Encoded:", encodedData);

  // Decode
  const decodedData = atob(encodedData);
  console.log("Decoded:", decodedData);

Java

In Java, you can use the java.util.Base64 class to perform Base64 encoding and decoding:

  import java.util.Base64;

  public class Base64Example {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
      String data = "Hello, World!";

      // Encode
      String encodedData = Base64.getEncoder().encodeToString(data.getBytes());
      System.out.println("Encoded: " + encodedData);

      // Decode
      String decodedData = new String(Base64.getDecoder().decode(encodedData));
      System.out.println("Decoded: " + decodedData);
    }
  }

C#

In C#, you can use the System.Convert class to handle Base64 encoding and decoding:

  using System;

  class Base64Example {
    static void Main() {
      string data = "Hello, World!";

      // Encode
      string encodedData = Convert.ToBase64String(System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes(data));
      Console.WriteLine("Encoded: " + encodedData);

      // Decode
      string decodedData = System.Text.Encoding.UTF8.GetString(Convert.FromBase64String(encodedData));
      Console.WriteLine("Decoded: " + decodedData);
    }
  }

Application Example

Let’s create a small web application that accepts user input, encodes it to Base64, and then decodes it back to its original form:

  
  
  
    
    
  
  
    
Base64 Encoder/Decoder
    

      Enter Data:
      
      Encode
    
    

      
Encoded Data
      

      Decode
    
    

      
Decoded Data
      

    
  
  

With these examples, you can see how versatile and useful Base64 encoding is across different programming languages.

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