What base64 is for
Base64 encodes binary data into 64 printable ASCII characters so it survives text-only channels: email attachments (MIME), HTTP Basic auth (user:pass), data URIs in CSS/HTML (data:image/png;base64,...), and the base64url segments of JWTs. Every 3 bytes become 4 characters, so output is ~33% larger than input.
Standard vs URL-safe
- Standard base64 uses
+/and=padding — fine in bodies and headers, but+and/have special meaning in URLs. - base64url swaps
+→-and/→_, and usually drops padding — this is what JWT segments and?token=params use. - The tool auto-detects and decodes both forms; the checkbox controls the encode output.
Unicode note
Text is encoded as UTF-8 first, so emoji and CJK work correctly both ways — a common bug with naive encoders that mangle non-ASCII input.
Pair with the JWT Decoder if you're working with tokens (all three segments are exactly base64url).