Encoding & Decoding

Base64, URL, HTML entities, hex, binary, Morse, and other bytes-to-text transforms.

9 tools · all run in your browser

Encoding is the everyday work of moving data safely between systems that only speak certain character sets. Base64 wraps binary bytes into printable ASCII so they survive email and URLs. URL-encoding escapes special characters so a query string parses correctly. HTML entities keep angle brackets from being interpreted as markup. Every tool in this category runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded, ever.

None of these are encryption. Base64, URL-encoding, hex, and binary representations are trivially reversible; anyone with a laptop can decode them in a second. Never use them as a security layer. For actual secrecy, use encryption (out of scope for this category); for integrity, use one of our Hash tools.

Historic and novelty encodings (Morse code, ROT13/Caesar cipher, binary text) are also here — useful for puzzles, radio hobbyists, teaching how encoding works, and the occasional accessibility use case.

All encoding & decoding

Frequently asked

Is Base64 encryption?

No. Base64 is a way to represent bytes as printable characters — anyone with a laptop can decode it in a second. Never use it to hide sensitive data; use encryption for that.

Why does Base64 output end in "="?

The equals signs are padding. Base64 encodes 3 bytes into 4 characters, so when your input isn't a multiple of 3 bytes, one or two "=" characters mark the leftover. URL-safe Base64 (used in JWTs) drops the padding.

What is URL-safe Base64?

A variant that replaces "+" with "-" and "/" with "_" (both special in URLs) and often drops the "=" padding. Used in JWTs, OAuth codes, and anywhere Base64 needs to live inside a URL.

When do I need URL encoding?

Whenever text goes into a URL query parameter, path segment, or form value. Encoding turns spaces into %20, "?" into %3F, "&" into %26, etc. — so the URL parses cleanly. Use encodeURIComponent for query values; encodeURI for whole URLs.

What is the difference between encoding and hashing?

Encoding is reversible — you can always decode back to the original. Hashing is one-way — the output looks random and cannot be reversed to recover the input. Use encoding to transport data, hashing to fingerprint or verify data.

Do I need to HTML-encode text I put in an attribute?

Yes — angle brackets, ampersands, and quotes need entity encoding inside HTML attributes to prevent parsing errors and XSS. Even inside URL attributes; entity-encode first, then URL-encode.