base64(1) BSD General Commands Manual base64(1)

NAME

base64 — Encode and decode using Base64 representation

SYNOPSIS

base64 [−h | −D] [−b count] [−i input_file] [−o output_file]

DESCRIPTION

base64 encodes and decodes Base64 data, as specified in RFC 4648. With no options, base64 reads raw data from stdin and writes encoded data as a continuous block to stdout.

OPTIONS

The following options are available:

−b count
--break=count

Insert line breaks every count characters. Default is 0, which generates an unbroken stream.

−D
--decode

Decode incoming Base64 stream into binary data.

−h
--help

Print usage summary and exit.

−i input_file
--input=input_file

Read input from input_file. Default is stdin; passing - also represents stdin.

−o output_file
--output=output_file

Write output to output_file. Default is stdout; passing - also represents stdout.

SEE ALSO

openssl(1), wikipedia page, RFC 4648

Mac OS X 10.7 February 8, 2011 Mac OS X 10.7