Encoding and Decoding
- atob:
atobis a built-in JavaScript function that decodes a Base64-encoded string. It takes a single argument, the Base64 string, and returns the decoded data as a regular string. It is important to note thatatobonly works with strings that are properly encoded in Base64 format. - btoa:
btoais a built-in JavaScript function that encodes a string into Base64 format. It takes a string as input and returns the Base64-encoded version of that string.btoais useful for encoding data that needs to be transmitted over channels that only support text. - base-64:
The
base-64package provides both encoding and decoding functions for Base64 data. It includesbase64.encodefor encoding data andbase64.decodefor decoding. This package is designed to be simple and efficient, making it easy to integrate into both Node.js and browser applications.
Cross-Platform Compatibility
- atob:
atobis a built-in function available in most modern web browsers. However, it is not available in Node.js environments, which limits its use to client-side applications. - btoa:
btoais also a built-in function that is limited to browser environments. It cannot be used in Node.js, which makes it unsuitable for server-side applications. - base-64:
The
base-64package is designed to work seamlessly in both Node.js and browser environments. This cross-platform compatibility makes it a versatile choice for applications that run in multiple contexts.
Error Handling
- atob:
atobdoes not provide built-in error handling for invalid Base64 input. If the input string is not properly encoded, it will throw anInvalidCharacterError. Developers need to handle this exception in their code to avoid crashes. - btoa:
btoaalso lacks comprehensive error handling. It will throw anInvalidCharacterErrorif the input string contains characters outside the Latin1 range. Again, developers must implement their own error handling to manage such cases. - base-64:
The
base-64package provides a more robust approach to error handling. It gracefully handles invalid input during encoding and decoding, making it less likely to cause runtime errors in applications.
Example Usage
- atob:
Example of using
atobfor decoding Base64 data:const base64String = 'SGVsbG8sIFdvcmxkIQ=='; const decodedString = atob(base64String); console.log(decodedString); // Output: Hello, World! - btoa:
Example of using
btoafor encoding data:const originalString = 'Hello, World!'; const base64Encoded = btoa(originalString); console.log(base64Encoded); // Output: SGVsbG8sIFdvcmxkIQ== - base-64:
Example of using the
base-64package:const base64 = require('base-64'); // Encoding const encoded = base64.encode('Hello, World!'); console.log(encoded); // Output: SGVsbG8sIFdvcmxkIQ== // Decoding const decoded = base64.decode(encoded); console.log(decoded); // Output: Hello, World!