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

Aside from what's already been said, two very common uses that have not been listed are

Hashes:

Hashes are one-way functions that transform a block of bytes into another block of bytes of a fixed size such as 128bit or 256bit (SHA/MD5). Converting the resulting bytes into Base64 makes it much easier to display the hash especially when you are comparing a checksum for integrity. Hashes are so often seen in Base64 that many people mistake Base64 itself as a hash.

Cryptography:

Since an encryption key does not have to be text but raw bytes it is sometimes necessary to store it in a file or database, which Base64 comes in handy for. Same with the resulting encrypted bytes.

Note that although Base64 is often used in cryptography is not a security mechanism. Anyone can convert the Base64 string back to its original bytes, so it should not be used as a means for protecting data, only as a format to display or store raw bytes more easily.

Certificates

x509 certificates in PEM format are base 64 encoded. http://how2ssl.com/articles/working_with_pem_files/