Base64 Compression Test

Base64 Compression Test

Compare original file sizes with Base64 encoded sizes. Understand the compression overhead for different file types.

Test Base64 Compression

Upload any file to compare its original size with Base64 encoded size

Supports all file types (Max 10MB) - Images, documents, text files, and more

Features

Instant Analysis

Test compression impact in milliseconds

100% Secure

All processing happens locally in your browser

Detailed Metrics

Comprehensive size impact analysis

Understanding Base64 Compression

Base64 encoding is not compression - it's actually encoding that increases file size by approximately 33%. This tool helps you understand the size impact of Base64 encoding on different file types and sizes.

The overhead comes from converting binary data (8 bits per byte) into ASCII text (6 bits per character), requiring approximately 4 Base64 characters for every 3 bytes of original data. This makes binary data text-safe for transmission through text-only protocols but at the cost of increased size.

When to Use Base64 Encoding

Recommended

  • • Small files (< 100KB)
  • • Email attachments
  • • API responses with images
  • • CSS/HTML inline resources

Avoid When

  • • Large files (> 1MB)
  • • Multiple files together
  • • Bandwidth-critical applications
  • • Real-time streaming

Common Use Cases

Web Development

Test Base64 impact before embedding images in CSS/HTML

Email Templates

Analyze size overhead for HTML email attachments

API Design

Evaluate Base64 payload sizes for API endpoints

Performance Testing

Compare encoding overhead across different file types

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Base64 a compression algorithm?

No, Base64 is an encoding algorithm that increases file size by ~33%. It makes binary data text-compatible but doesn't compress it.

Why does Base64 increase file size?

Base64 converts 8-bit bytes to 6-bit ASCII characters, requiring 4 characters to represent 3 bytes, resulting in a 33% size increase.

When is Base64 encoding worth the overhead?

For small files (< 100KB), convenience often outweighs the size overhead. It's also useful when you need text-safe encoding for systems that don't support binary data.

Is this tool free to use?

Absolutely! This Base64 compression test tool is completely free with no limitations, registration, or hidden costs.