# What Is Base 64 Encoding Used For?  ## Metadata - Author: [[Stack Overflow]] - Full Title: What Is Base 64 Encoding Used For? - Category: #articles - Summary: Base64 encodes binary data into ASCII text so it can be stored or sent over systems that only handle text. It maps every 6 bits to one of 64 characters (A–Z, a–z, 0–9, +, /) and uses = for padding. Base64 is not encryption — anyone can decode it back to the original bytes. - URL: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/201479/what-is-base-64-encoding-used-for ## Highlights - When you have some binary data that you want to ship across a network, you generally don't do it by just streaming the bits and bytes over the wire in a raw format. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k2qpjwzb62vkvyd8ekkc8hhs)) - **Why 64?** Because you can generally rely on the same 64 characters being present in many character sets, and you can be reasonably confident that your data's going to end up on the other side of the wire uncorrupted. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k2qpnd7h5v6akkt81281b33z)) - It's basically a way of encoding arbitrary binary data in ASCII text. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k2qpqfgaredggnbekxswhnzr)) - The "standard" alphabet uses A-Z, a-z, 0-9 and + and /, with = as a padding character. There are URL-safe variants. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01k2qpsy4y2jyg4q12xy4b233c))