About

Site Information

This site was created and mantained by the Youtube channel "The Seasoned Programmer". Any questions, I can be reached at mark@the-seasoned-programmer.com.

Base64 Encoding

Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme that converts binary data into an ASCII string format using a set of 64 characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, /). It is commonly used in HTML to embed binary data directly within text-based formats, such as embedding images or other media in web pages.

How Base64 is Used in HTML

Embedding Images: Base64 is often used to embed image data directly into HTML or CSS files. This can reduce the number of HTTP requests needed to load a webpage.
Data URLs: Base64-encoded data can be included in data: URLs, which can be used in src attributes of <img> tags or in CSS background-image properties.

Example

Here is an example of embedding a small image using Base64 in an HTML document:

    
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Base64 Example</title>
</head>
<body>
<h1>Base64 Image Example</h1>
<img src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAUA
AAAFCAYAAACNbyblAAAAHElEQVQI12P4
//8/w38GIAXDIBKE0DHxgljNBAAO
9TXL0Y4OHwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==" alt="Red dot">
</body>
</html>

Benefits

Reduced HTTP Requests: Embedding small images directly in HTML can reduce the number of HTTP requests, potentially speeding up page load times.
Portability: Base64-encoded data can be easily copied and pasted, making it convenient for embedding small assets directly in HTML or CSS.

Drawbacks

Increased Size: Base64 encoding increases the size of the data by approximately 33%, which can be inefficient for larger files.
Readability: Embedding large amounts of Base64-encoded data can make HTML or CSS files harder to read and maintain.