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Encode the string to bytes, pass those bytes to Python’s base64.b64encode(), then decode the result as ASCII if you need a string. UTF-8 is the usual text encoding unless the receiving system specifies another one.

Encode a Python string to Base64

Python’s Base64 functions work with bytes, not directly with Unicode text. Convert the text to bytes first, encode those bytes, and turn the Base64 result into an ASCII string when needed:

import base64

text = "Hello, world!"
encoded = base64.b64encode(text.encode("utf-8")).decode("ascii")
print(encoded)  # SGVsbG8sIHdvcmxkIQ==

text.encode("utf-8") converts the Unicode string to bytes. base64.b64encode() returns Base64-encoded bytes, and .decode("ascii") converts those bytes to a normal Python str. This is the standard-library pattern described in the Python Base64 documentation.

Decode Base64 back to text

Decoding Base64 returns bytes. Decode those bytes using the same text encoding used before Base64 encoding:

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decoded_text = base64.b64decode(encoded).decode("utf-8")
print(decoded_text)  # Hello, world!

The two steps reverse the original conversion: Base64 bytes become the original text bytes, then UTF-8 decoding reconstructs the string. Python’s codecs documentation explains converting between Unicode strings and byte sequences.

Choose the text encoding expected by the recipient

UTF-8 is a practical default and can encode the full range of Unicode characters. If an API, file format, or other receiving system requires a different text encoding, use that encoding consistently when converting the string to bytes and when decoding the result. Base64 itself does not preserve the original text encoding as metadata.

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Use URL-safe Base64 when required

If the receiving system expects Base64 suitable for URLs or filesystem names, use Python’s URL-safe variant:

encoded_url = base64.urlsafe_b64encode(text.encode("utf-8")).decode("ascii")

URL-safe Base64 substitutes - for + and _ for /. It may still include = padding. Decode it with base64.urlsafe_b64decode(); only remove padding if the receiving system explicitly expects unpadded input.

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Choose how strictly to decode input

By default, base64.b64decode() uses validate=False, which discards characters outside the Base64 alphabet before checking padding. For input where unexpected characters should cause an error instead, enable strict validation:

decoded_bytes = base64.b64decode(encoded_input, validate=True)

With strict validation, characters outside the alphabet raise binascii.Error. Incorrect padding can also raise that error, so handle it if the input may be malformed.

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Common conversion mistake

Do not use str(bytes_value) as a substitute for decoding bytes. For example, Python can represent bytes as "b'Zoot!'"; that is a display representation, not the decoded byte contents. Use bytes_value.decode("ascii") for Base64 output or the appropriate text encoding, such as UTF-8, for decoded original text. See Python’s built-in types documentation.

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Base64 is not encryption

Base64 is an encoding that represents bytes using printable characters. Anyone who receives the encoded value can decode it, so it does not protect confidential information.

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