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base64
: Transform data into printable data
base64
transforms data read from a file, or standard input,
into (or from) base64 encoded form. The base64 encoded form uses
printable ASCII characters to represent binary data.
Synopses:
base64 [option]… [file] base64 --decode [option]… [file]
The base64 encoding expands data to roughly 133% of the original. The base32 encoding expands data to roughly 160% of the original. The format conforms to RFC 4648.
The program accepts the following options. Also see Common options.
-w cols
’--wrap=cols
’
During encoding, wrap lines after cols
characters. This must be
a positive number.
The default is to wrap after 76 characters. Use the value 0 to disable line wrapping altogether.
-d
’--decode
’
Change the mode of operation, from the default of encoding data, to decoding data. Input is expected to be base64 encoded data, and the output will be the original data.
-i
’--ignore-garbage
’
When decoding, newlines are always accepted. During decoding, ignore unrecognized bytes, to permit distorted data to be decoded.
An exit status of zero indicates success, and a nonzero value indicates failure.