Developer Guide
Base64 vs Hex Encoding
Compare Base64 and hexadecimal encoding: size, readability, and use cases. Learn when to use each for hashes, binary data, and URLs.
Base64 and hex both convert binary to printable text, but they have different size and readability tradeoffs.
Size comparison
Base64 expands data by ~33% (3 bytes become 4 characters). Hex doubles the size (1 byte becomes 2 characters). For the same binary data, Base64 output is about 25% shorter than hex.
Readability
Hex is easier to read byte-by-byte. Each pair of hex digits is one byte. Base64 uses 64 characters and is harder to decode visually. Developers often prefer hex for hashes and debugging.
Character set
Hex uses 0-9 and a-f (or A-F). Base64 uses A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /, and = for padding. Base64url replaces + and / with - and _ for URL safety.
When to use hex
Displaying hashes (SHA-256 is usually shown as 64 hex characters). Debugging binary protocols. Anywhere you need to inspect individual bytes. Git commit SHAs.
When to use Base64
Embedding binary in JSON or XML. Data URIs for images. Email attachments (MIME). HTTP Basic Auth. Anywhere payload size matters.
Summary
Encode and decode with the Base64 tool. Generate hex-encoded hashes with the Hash Generator.