Boneyard Tools

Base58 Encoder and Decoder

Convert text to Base58 or decode a Base58 string back to text. This uses the Bitcoin alphabet, which leaves out the easy-to-confuse characters 0, O, I and l. Everything runs in your browser.

How to encode and decode Base58

  1. Paste or type your text, or a Base58 string to decode.
  2. Pick Encode to make Base58, or Decode to read it back.
  3. Copy the result or download it as a text file.

Examples

Encode text to Base58

Hello World
JxF12TrwUP45BMd

Decode Base58 back to text

JxF12TrwUP45BMd
Hello World

Frequently asked questions

What is Base58?

Base58 is a binary-to-text encoding that uses 58 characters. It drops the look-alikes 0 (zero), O (capital o), I (capital i) and l (lowercase L) so values are easier to read, copy and type by hand.

Where is Base58 used?

Base58 is best known from Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, where it encodes wallet addresses, private keys (WIF) and extended keys. It also shows up in short IDs and IPFS content identifiers.

What is the difference between Base58 and Base64?

Base64 uses 64 characters including +, / and = padding, which can be awkward in URLs or when read aloud. Base58 uses fewer characters, removes ambiguous ones, and has no padding, so it is friendlier for hand-copied IDs but produces slightly longer output.

Why is 0 not a valid Base58 character?

The Bitcoin Base58 alphabet deliberately omits 0, O, I and l because they are easily confused with each other. Pasting any of them into the decoder is treated as an error.

Does it handle emoji and accented characters?

Yes. Text is read as UTF-8 before encoding, so accents, emoji and other multi-byte characters encode and decode back to the exact original.

Is my text private?

Yes. Encoding and decoding happen entirely in your browser, so nothing you type is uploaded to a server.

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