Base32 Encoder & Decoder (RFC 4648 & Base32hex)

Load Sample Text:
43 bytes
JBSWY3DPFQQFO33SNRSCCICUN5XWY42BIEQDEMBSGYQEIZLWMVWG64DFOIQFG5LJORSS4===
Byte Hex Dump Preview:
48 65 6c 6c 6f 2c 20 57 6f 72 6c 64 21 20 54 6f 6f 6c 73 41 41 20 32 30 32 36 20 44 65 76 65 6c 6f 70 65 72 20 53 75 69 74 65 2e
Input Bytes43 B
Output Bytes72 B
Size Ratio160% (8:5)
Active Alphabetrfc4648

100% Client-Side Privacy

Your 2FA authentication seeds, private hashes, and sensitive payloads are encoded strictly within your local browser memory.

Dual RFC 4648 Alphabets

Seamlessly switch between standard Base32 (A-Z, 2-7) and lexicographically sorted Base32hex (0-9, A-V) standards.

Full 2FA Seed Compatibility

Provides one-click padding toggle to generate clean Google Authenticator, Authy, and hardware token compatible seed strings.

Technical Reference & Architecture Guide

Base32 Encoding & Decoding Developer Guide — Reference Guide

Comprehensive reference for RFC 4648 Base32 and Base32hex representations, 5-bit block alignments, padding characters, and case-insensitive transmission.

Key Parameters & Controls

alphabetenum ('rfc4648' | 'base32hex')

Character set mapping: standard A-Z, 2-7 vs extended hex 0-9, A-V.

paddingboolean

Appends '=' padding to ensure 8-character quantum block alignment.

inputModeenum ('encode' | 'decode')

Specifies whether to convert plain bytes to Base32 or parse Base32 back to UTF-8/Hex.

Pro Tips & Best Practices

Base32 is ideal for human readouts, audio transmission, and case-insensitive DNS labels because it avoids ambiguous characters like 0/O and 1/I.

Base32 expansion ratio is always 8:5 (160% of original raw byte payload), compared to 4:3 (133%) for Base64.

TOTP / Google Authenticator two-factor secret keys are universally encoded using RFC 4648 Base32 without padding.

Common Gotchas & Troubleshooting

Check if your input contains numbers 0, 1, 8, or 9 which are excluded from standard RFC 4648 Base32.

Many TOTP authenticators reject '=' padding; toggle the padding switch off before copying.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use Base32 instead of Base64?▼

Base32 is strictly case-insensitive and omits visually confusing glyphs, making it resilient in filesystems, DNS labels, and paper backups.

What is the difference between Base32 and Base32hex?▼

Base32hex uses 0-9 and A-V, preserving sorted binary collation order across strings.

Are my decoded tokens or secrets sent to a backend?▼

No. The bit-shifting and buffer manipulation run 100% locally in your browser memory.

How does Base32 handle arbitrary binary data?▼

Bytes are grouped into 40-bit quanta (5 bytes), which split evenly into eight 5-bit Base32 symbols.

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