Introduction

In the world of web development, transferring data securely and efficiently is one of the essential aspects. Both Base64 and JSON Web Token (JWT) play a critical role in data transfer. Base64 is a binary-to-text encoding scheme representing binary data in ASCII string format. At the same time, JWT is a stateless format for securely transmitting information between parties as a JSON object. In this blog post, we will cover “How to Base64 decode in Python.”

Concept of Base64 Encoding

Base64 encoding is used to convert binary data into text format in such a way that it can easily be transferred over various networks. It uses a specific 64-character set containing both upper and lower case alphabetical characters, numerals, and symbols. For instance, if we want to convert “Hello” into Base64, the encoded value would be “SGVsbG8=”.

Base64 Decode in Python - Step By Step Guide

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to Base64 decode a string in Python:

Step 1: Import Required Libraries

Before starting, import “base64” module using the below command:

import base64

Step 2: Convert Base64 Encoded String to Byte

Next, we need to convert the Base64 string to byte format. You can use the following command to decode the base64 encoded string:

base64.b64decode(encoded_string)

Note: The encoded string should be passed as a parameter in the above command.

Step 3: Decode the Byte String

After converting the Base64-encoded string to byte form, we can decode the byte string using the following command:

decoded_value = base64.b64decode(encoded_string).decode('utf-8')

Note: Here, “utf-8” is the encoding format. You can change this to any other encoding format as per your requirement.

Step 4: Get the Decoded Value

Lastly, we can get the decoded value by printing the decoded_value variable. The output will show the original value for the given Base64 encoded string.

print(decoded_value)

Conclusion

In this blog post, we have briefly explained the concept of Base64 encoding and provided a step-by-step guide on how to base64 decode in python. By using the above-mentioned commands, you can easily decode base64 encoded strings in any python environment.