Image to Base64

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Base64 encoding for images?

Base64 is a way to represent binary data (like an image file) as a string of ASCII characters. This lets you embed an image directly in HTML, CSS, or JSON without a separate file request. A data URL adds a header like 'data:image/png;base64,' before the encoded string so browsers know how to interpret it.

What is the difference between a data URL and raw Base64?

A data URL includes the MIME type prefix (e.g., 'data:image/png;base64,') and can be used directly in an src attribute or CSS background-image. Raw Base64 is just the encoded string without the prefix, used when you need to pass only the encoded data to an API or store it separately.

Why does the Base64 string look much larger than the original file?

Base64 encoding increases file size by roughly 33%, because it represents every 3 bytes of binary data as 4 characters. A 100 KB image becomes about 133 KB as Base64. For this reason, embedding large images as Base64 is generally not recommended for production use.

Is my image uploaded to a server?

No. The conversion happens entirely in your browser using the FileReader API. Your image never leaves your device.

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