Base64 is a method of converting binary data into text format by translating it into a radix-64 representation, allowing for transmission or storage of binary data as text. This encoding process breaks the binary data into 6-bit chunks, each of which is then represented by a corresponding character in the Base64 character set, which includes 64 characters such as A-Z, a-z, 0-9, '+', and '/'. The resulting Base64-encoded string is typically longer than the original binary data due to the use of more characters. Base64 encoding is commonly used in internet protocols such as MIME email messages, HTTP basic authentication, and data URLs, as well as software applications for encoding binary data like images, audio files, and executable programs. Most programming languages have built-in functions or libraries for encoding and decoding Base64 data.
