Does Base64 encoding encrypt my data?

No. Base64 is an encoding scheme, not encryption. Anyone who receives a Base64 string can decode it instantly without a key. Do not use Base64 to hide sensitive data.

What is the difference between standard and URL-safe Base64?

Standard Base64 uses + and / as its 62nd and 63rd characters. These have special meaning in URLs, so URL-safe Base64 replaces them with - and _ respectively. The output is otherwise identical and interchangeable if you handle the substitution correctly.

What's the file size limit?

The API endpoint accepts up to 1 MB of JSON per request. For larger files, run the formatter locally: node -e "console.log(JSON.stringify(JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync('input.json','utf8')),null,2))"

Yes — enable the 'Sort keys' option to sort object keys alphabetically at every level of nesting. Array element order is always preserved because arrays are ordered by definition.

Tool comparison

Base64 Encoder / Decoder vs JSON Formatter

Base64 Encoder / Decoder (encoding) and JSON Formatter (formatting) come from different categories but appear together in developer workflows. This guide explains what each does and when to reach for one over the other.

Bottom line

Base64 encodes binary or arbitrary bytes as ASCII text; JSON Formatter parses and pretty-prints structured data. JSON payloads are sometimes Base64-encoded inside a larger JSON document, so these tools work at different layers of the same pipeline.

What each tool does

Base64 Encoder / Decoder

Base64 is an encoding scheme that converts binary data — or any text — into a string of 64 ASCII characters (A–Z, a–z, 0–9, +, /). It is used wherever binary data must travel through a medium that only handles text: embedding images in HTML or CSS, encoding credentials in HTTP Authorization headers, storing binary payloads in JSON, and passing data through URLs. Base64 does not encrypt data; it only changes the representation. The URL-safe variant replaces + with - and / with _ so the result is safe to embed in URLs and filenames without percent-encoding.

Open Base64 Encoder / Decoder →

JSON Formatter

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight text format for representing structured data using key-value pairs, arrays, strings, numbers, booleans, and null. It is the dominant data interchange format for REST APIs, configuration files, and data storage. A JSON formatter parses a JSON string and re-serializes it with consistent indentation and line breaks (pretty-print) to make it human-readable, or removes all whitespace (minify) to produce the smallest possible representation for transmission or storage. This tool goes further: it validates syntax and reports the exact line and column of any parse error, optionally sorts all object keys alphabetically for consistent diffs, and can repair common JSON-like inputs that are technically invalid — such as trailing commas, JavaScript-style comments, and single-quoted strings.

Open JSON Formatter →

Side-by-side comparison

Feature	Base64 Encoder / Decoder	JSON Formatter
Category	encoding	formatting
Primary purpose	Encode text or data to Base64, or decode Base64 back to plain text.	Pretty-print or minify JSON — with syntax validation.
Inputs	input, mode, charset	json, mode, indent, sort_keys, repair
Outputs	output, valid, encoding, byte_length, error	output, valid, error, error_line, error_column

When to use each

Use Base64 Encoder / Decoder when…

How to encode a string to Base64

Convert plain text to a Base64 string for use in APIs, HTTP headers, or data URIs.

How to decode a Base64 string

Convert a Base64-encoded string back to its original plain text.

Use JSON Formatter when…

How to pretty-print a JSON API response

Convert a minified or compact JSON API response into human-readable, indented output for inspection.

How to minify JSON for production

Remove all whitespace from a JSON file to reduce its size before embedding it in code, APIs, or config files.

Frequently asked questions

Does Base64 encoding encrypt my data?: No. Base64 is an encoding scheme, not encryption. Anyone who receives a Base64 string can decode it instantly without a key. Do not use Base64 to hide sensitive data.
What is the difference between standard and URL-safe Base64?: Standard Base64 uses + and / as its 62nd and 63rd characters. These have special meaning in URLs, so URL-safe Base64 replaces them with - and _ respectively. The output is otherwise identical and interchangeable if you handle the substitution correctly.
What's the file size limit?: The API endpoint accepts up to 1 MB of JSON per request. For larger files, run the formatter locally: node -e "console.log(JSON.stringify(JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync('input.json','utf8')),null,2))"
Does it sort keys?: Yes — enable the 'Sort keys' option to sort object keys alphabetically at every level of nesting. Array element order is always preserved because arrays are ordered by definition.