Base 64 Encoding – Sasikumar Talks (Tamil) #SasikumarTalks

Base64 is a method of encoding binary data into an ASCII string format using a set of 64 different characters. This encoding scheme is used to ensure that the data remains intact and can be safely transmitted over systems that may not support binary data directly.

Key Points About Base64:
Character Set: The 64 characters used in Base64 are the uppercase letters (A-Z), lowercase letters (a-z), digits (0-9), and two additional characters: + and /. The = symbol is used as padding at the end of the encoded data to make sure the output is always a multiple of 4 characters.

Usage: Base64 is commonly used in a variety of applications, such as encoding the contents of files (like images) for inclusion in email attachments or for data URLs in web development.

How It Works:

The binary data is divided into chunks of 3 bytes (24 bits).
Each 3-byte chunk is then split into four 6-bit groups.
Each 6-bit group is mapped to a corresponding Base64 character.
If the number of bytes to encode is not divisible by 3, padding is added.
Decoding: The Base64 encoded string can be decoded back into the original binary data by reversing the process.

Example:
Original Data: “Hello”
Binary Representation: 01001000 01100101 01101100 01101100 01101111
Base64 Encoded: “SGVsbG8=”
In this example, “Hello” is encoded to “SGVsbG8=” using Base64. When decoded, it returns to the original “Hello”.

Base64 is widely used in scenarios where text-based encoding is required to handle binary data, especially in systems where data integrity must be maintained during transport.