TASK

Use HTTP Basic Authentication

Basic Auth sends credentials as Base64-encoded username:password in the Authorization header. Learn the format, security requirements, and alternatives.

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Basic Auth sends "Authorization: Basic <base64(username:password)>" in the HTTP header. The credentials are encoded (not encrypted) — Base64 is reversible. Always use Basic Auth over HTTPS; over HTTP, credentials are exposed. The browser shows a native login prompt when a server returns 401 with WWW-Authenticate: Basic.
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Base64 Encoder →
Encode "username:password" as Base64 to create the Authorization header value. For example, "admin:secret" → "YWRtaW46c2VjcmV0". The header is: Authorization: Basic YWRtaW46c2VjcmV0.
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Base64 Decoder →
Decode a Basic Auth header to extract the credentials. Remove "Basic " prefix, Base64-decode the rest, split on ":". This is what servers do to verify credentials. Never log the Authorization header — it contains reversible credentials.
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base64-decode
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Use the Basic Auth decode workflow to extract and inspect credentials from an Authorization header.

Frequently asked questions

Is Basic Auth secure?: Only over HTTPS. The credentials are Base64-encoded (reversible), not encrypted. Over HTTP, anyone on the network can read them. Even over HTTPS, Basic Auth has drawbacks: credentials are sent on every request, logout is unreliable (browser caches), and there is no token expiration.
Basic Auth vs Bearer token?: Bearer tokens are preferred: they expire (limiting compromise window), can be scoped (limited permissions), and don't expose the user's password. Use Basic Auth for simple APIs, internal tools, or API keys. Use Bearer tokens (JWT, OAuth) for production applications.

Workflows that solve this

Convert Ascii85 to Base64

Decode Ascii85 and re-encode as Base64 for wider compatibility.

Convert Base2048 to Base64

Decode Base2048 (emoji) and re-encode as Base64 for standard transport.

Convert Base32 to Base64

Decode a Base32-encoded string into raw bytes and re-encode as Base64 for more compact representation.

Convert Base58 to Base64

Decode Base58 and re-encode as Base64 for standard compatibility.

Base64 encode then decode round-trip

Encode text to Base64 and decode it back to verify the round-trip preserves the original data.

Convert Base64 to Base85

Decode Base64 and re-encode as Base85 for compact representation.

Convert Base64 to Hex

Decode a Base64 string into raw bytes and re-encode it as hexadecimal for inspection or interop.

Blowfish Encrypt then Base64

Blowfish encrypt then Base64-encode for text-safe transport.

Decode a Basic Auth credential pair

Decode the Base64 portion of an HTTP Basic Authorization header into username:password.

DES Encrypt then Base64

DES encrypt then Base64-encode for legacy compatibility.

Encode a JSON payload for URL transport

Prepare a JSON document for a URL parameter: pretty-print, Base64-encode, then percent-encode — the exact inverse of the nested-parameter decode chain.

AES encrypt then Base64 encode

Encrypt plaintext with AES and encode the ciphertext as Base64 for text-safe transport.

Hash content and encode as Base64

Compute a hash of the input and encode the hash digest as Base64 for compact transport.

Convert Hex to Base64

Decode a hexadecimal string into raw bytes and re-encode it as Base64 for compact transport.

HMAC Sign then Base64 Encode

Generate HMAC signature then Base64-encode for API auth headers.

Morse Encode and Base64 Transport

Encode text as Morse code then Base64-encode for digital transport.

Decode and format a JWT payload

Parse a JWT token, extract its payload, and format the JSON for inspection.

RC4 Encrypt then Base64

RC4 encrypt then Base64-encode for transport.

RIPEMD-160 Hash then Base64

Compute RIPEMD-160 hash then Base64-encode for transport.

Shuffle Text and Base64 Encode

Shuffle text characters then Base64-encode the result.

Unicode Escape and Base64 Encode

Unicode-escape text then Base64-encode for ASCII-safe transport.

URL Encode then Base64 Double Encode

URL-encode then Base64-encode for double encoding in API payloads.

Decode nested URL parameter (Base64 JSON)

Unwrap a URL parameter that carries URL-encoded Base64 JSON into readable, formatted JSON.

UUencode then Base64

UUencode text then Base64-encode the result for double encoding.

Generate UUID and Base64 Encode

Generate a UUID then Base64-encode it for compact storage.

Learn more

Want to understand why?

Base64 vs Base32 vs Base58

Compare three popular base-encoding schemes and learn when to choose each one.

Base64: how it works and when to use it

The byte-to-character mechanics behind Base64, why padding exists, which alphabet variants you will meet, and the boundaries where Base64 is the wrong tool.

Base128 maps binary data onto 128 ASCII characters, carrying 7 bits of payload per byte for an expansion of about 8/7.

Base64 maps arbitrary binary data onto 64 printable ASCII characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /) so that binary data can travel over text-only channels.

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