B32

Base32 Encoder and Decoder

Convert text to Base32 and decode Base32 back to readable text. Supports the standard RFC 4648 alphabet, the extended-hex alphabet, and the case-insensitive Crockford variant.

Runs in your browser ⚡ REST API available 🧩 Embeddable
Output
JBSWY3DPFQQFO33SNRSCC===
Alphabet reference
Standard RFC 4648 32 chars
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ234567
Extended Hex RFC 4648 §7 32 chars
0123456789ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUV
Crockford No I, L, O, U 32 chars
0123456789ABCDEFGHJKMNPQRSTVWXYZ

Standard pads to 8-character blocks with =. Extended-hex preserves lexicographic order. Crockford accepts lowercase, ignores hyphens, and aliases I/L → 1 and O → 0 on decode.

What is Base32?

Base32 represents binary data using 32 printable characters and is defined by RFC 4648. The standard alphabet uses A–Z and 2–7 with = padding, which keeps the output unambiguous when copied by hand or read aloud.

The extended-hex variant uses 0–9 and A–V so the encoding preserves sort order. Crockford Base32 drops the easily-confused letters I, L, O, and U, accepts lowercase, and tolerates hyphens — handy for short, human-readable identifiers.

When to use Base32

Base32 is roughly 60% larger than Base64 but case-insensitive and free of /, +, = in the Crockford variant. That makes it a common choice for two-factor authentication seeds (TOTP), DNS records, voiceable identifiers, and onion addresses.

Pick the standard alphabet for interop with most libraries, hex when you need lexicographic ordering, and Crockford for IDs people will type on a phone keyboard.

Use the API

Call the same encoder server-side or from another origin. CORS is open, no auth required for the free tier.

curl "https://encode-decode.org/api/v1/base32\
?action=encode&input=Hello%20World"