What is base64 encoding used for?

Question

I\'ve heard people talking about \"base 64 encoding\" here and there. What is it used for?

Answer 1

Base64

Base64 is a generic term for a number of similar encoding schemes that encode binary data by treating it numerically and translating it into a base 64 representation. The Base64 term originates from a specific MIME content transfer encoding.

Base64 encoding schemes are commonly used when there is a need to encode binary data that needs be stored and transferred over media that are designed to deal with textual data. This is to ensure that the data remains intact without modification during transport. Base64 is used commonly in a number of applications including email via MIME, and storing complex data in XML.