Question 1

What's the difference between Base64 and URL encoding?

Accepted Answer

Base64 turns arbitrary bytes (text, images, files) into a compact ASCII string using 64 characters — it's for safely embedding binary data in text formats. URL/percent encoding escapes specific reserved characters (like spaces and &) so text can safely appear inside a URL. They solve different problems and aren't interchangeable.

Question 2

What is base64url and why does it exist?

Accepted Answer

Standard Base64 uses + and / characters, both of which have special meaning in URLs. base64url replaces them with - and _ and drops padding, so the result is safe to use directly inside a URL or filename — it's the encoding used by JWTs, for example.

Question 3

Can I convert a file to Base64?

Accepted Answer

Yes — switch to File mode, choose any file, and get both the raw Base64 string and a ready-to-use data URI, with a live image preview if the file is a picture. The file never leaves your browser.

Base64 & URL Encoder/Decoder

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