Base64 is not encryption - here's what it actually does

📰 Dev.to · Mike Knights

Learn what Base64 actually does and why it's not encryption, to improve your understanding of data encoding and security

beginner Published 14 May 2026
Action Steps
  1. Understand the purpose of Base64 encoding
  2. Identify where Base64 is used in your projects, such as in JWTs or API payloads
  3. Learn to distinguish between encoding and encryption
  4. Use online tools or programming libraries to encode and decode Base64 strings
  5. Apply this knowledge to improve data handling and security in your applications
Who Needs to Know This

All developers, especially those working with web development, APIs, and data encoding, can benefit from understanding the role of Base64 in their projects

Key Insight

💡 Base64 is a encoding scheme, not an encryption method, and should not be relied upon for secure data transmission

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Base64 is not encryption! Learn what it actually does and how to use it correctly #Base64 #encoding #security
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