Convert.ToBase64String Method

Definition

Converts the value of an array of 8-bit unsigned integers to its equivalent string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits.

Overloads

ToBase64String(Byte[])

Converts an array of 8-bit unsigned integers to its equivalent string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits.

ToBase64String(Byte[], Base64FormattingOptions)

Converts an array of 8-bit unsigned integers to its equivalent string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits. You can specify whether to insert line breaks in the return value.

ToBase64String(ReadOnlySpan<Byte>, Base64FormattingOptions)

Converts the 8-bit unsigned integers inside the specified read-only span into their equivalent string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits. You can optionally specify whether to insert line breaks in the return value.

ToBase64String(Byte[], Int32, Int32)

Converts a subset of an array of 8-bit unsigned integers to its equivalent string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits. Parameters specify the subset as an offset in the input array, and the number of elements in the array to convert.

ToBase64String(Byte[], Int32, Int32, Base64FormattingOptions)

Converts a subset of an array of 8-bit unsigned integers to its equivalent string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits. Parameters specify the subset as an offset in the input array, the number of elements in the array to convert, and whether to insert line breaks in the return value.

ToBase64String(Byte[])

Source:
Convert.cs
Source:
Convert.cs
Source:
Convert.cs

Converts an array of 8-bit unsigned integers to its equivalent string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits.

C#
public static string ToBase64String (byte[] inArray);

Parameters

inArray
Byte[]

An array of 8-bit unsigned integers.

Returns

The string representation, in base 64, of the contents of inArray.

Exceptions

inArray is null.

Examples

The following example uses the ToBase64String(Byte[]) method to convert a byte array to a UUencoded (base-64) string, and then calls the FromBase64String(String) method to restore the original byte array.

C#
using System;

public class Example
{
   public static void Main()
   {
       // Define a byte array.
       byte[] bytes = { 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 };
       Console.WriteLine("The byte array: ");
       Console.WriteLine("   {0}\n", BitConverter.ToString(bytes));

       // Convert the array to a base 64 string.
       string s = Convert.ToBase64String(bytes);
       Console.WriteLine("The base 64 string:\n   {0}\n", s);

       // Restore the byte array.
       byte[] newBytes = Convert.FromBase64String(s);
       Console.WriteLine("The restored byte array: ");
       Console.WriteLine("   {0}\n", BitConverter.ToString(newBytes));
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//     The byte array:
//        02-04-06-08-0A-0C-0E-10-12-14
//
//     The base 64 string:
//        AgQGCAoMDhASFA==
//
//     The restored byte array:
//        02-04-06-08-0A-0C-0E-10-12-14

The following is a more complex example that creates a 20-element array of 32-bit integers. It then uses the BitConverter.GetBytes(Int32) method to convert each element into a byte array, which it stores in the appropriate position in a buffer by calling the Array.Copy(Array, Int32, Array, Int32, Int32) method. This buffer is then passed to the ToBase64String(Byte[]) method to create a UUencoded (base-64) string. It then calls the FromBase64String(String) method to decode the UUencoded string, and calls the BitConverter.ToInt32 method to convert each set of four bytes (the size of a 32-bit integer) to an integer. The output from the example shows that the original array has been successfully restored.

C#
using System;

public class Example
{
   public static void Main()
   {
      // Define an array of 20 elements and display it.
      int[] arr = new int[20];
      int value = 1;
      for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= arr.GetUpperBound(0); ctr++) {
         arr[ctr] = value;
         value = value * 2 + 1;
      }
      DisplayArray(arr);

      // Convert the array of integers to a byte array.
      byte[] bytes = new byte[arr.Length * 4];
      for (int ctr = 0; ctr < arr.Length; ctr++) {
         Array.Copy(BitConverter.GetBytes(arr[ctr]), 0,
                    bytes, ctr * 4, 4);
      }

      // Encode the byte array using Base64 encoding
      String base64 = Convert.ToBase64String(bytes);
      Console.WriteLine("The encoded string: ");
      for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= base64.Length / 50; ctr++)
         Console.WriteLine(base64.Substring(ctr * 50,
                                            ctr * 50 + 50 <= base64.Length
                                               ? 50 : base64.Length - ctr * 50));
      Console.WriteLine();

      // Convert the string back to a byte array.
      byte[] newBytes = Convert.FromBase64String(base64);

      // Convert the byte array back to an integer array.
      int[] newArr = new int[newBytes.Length/4];
      for (int ctr = 0; ctr < newBytes.Length / 4; ctr ++)
         newArr[ctr] = BitConverter.ToInt32(newBytes, ctr * 4);

      DisplayArray(newArr);
   }

   private static void DisplayArray(Array arr)
   {
      Console.WriteLine("The array:");
      Console.Write("{ ");
      for (int ctr = 0; ctr < arr.GetUpperBound(0); ctr++) {
         Console.Write("{0}, ", arr.GetValue(ctr));
         if ((ctr + 1) % 10 == 0)
            Console.Write("\n  ");
      }
      Console.WriteLine("{0} {1}", arr.GetValue(arr.GetUpperBound(0)), "}");
      Console.WriteLine();
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
// The array:
// { 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, 127, 255, 511, 1023,
//   2047, 4095, 8191, 16383, 32767, 65535, 131071, 262143, 524287, 1048575 }
//
// The encoded string:
// AQAAAAMAAAAHAAAADwAAAB8AAAA/AAAAfwAAAP8AAAD/AQAA/w
// MAAP8HAAD/DwAA/x8AAP8/AAD/fwAA//8AAP//AQD//wMA//8H
//
// The array:
// { 1, 3, 7, 15, 31, 63, 127, 255, 511, 1023,
//   2047, 4095, 8191, 16383, 32767, 65535, 131071, 262143, 524287, 1048575 }

Remarks

The elements of inArray are taken as a numeric value and converted to a string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits.

The base-64 digits in ascending order from zero are the uppercase characters "A" to "Z", the lowercase characters "a" to "z", the numerals "0" to "9", and the symbols "+" and "/". The valueless character, "=", is used for trailing padding.

Important

The ToBase64String method is designed to process a single byte array that contains all the data to be encoded. To encode data from a stream, use the System.Security.Cryptography.ToBase64Transform class.

Ordinarily, the ToBase64String method is not used to round-trip a UUEncoded (base-64 encoded) string. That is, if you decode a string by calling the FromBase64String method, then encode the returned byte array by calling the ToBase64String method, the resulting string will not necessarily be identical to the original string. The string will round-trip only if the original string is a valid base-64 encoded string.

See also

Applies to

.NET 9 and other versions
Product Versions
.NET Core 1.0, Core 1.1, Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Framework 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1
UWP 10.0

ToBase64String(Byte[], Base64FormattingOptions)

Source:
Convert.cs
Source:
Convert.cs
Source:
Convert.cs

Converts an array of 8-bit unsigned integers to its equivalent string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits. You can specify whether to insert line breaks in the return value.

C#
public static string ToBase64String (byte[] inArray, Base64FormattingOptions options);
C#
[System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(false)]
public static string ToBase64String (byte[] inArray, Base64FormattingOptions options);

Parameters

inArray
Byte[]

An array of 8-bit unsigned integers.

options
Base64FormattingOptions

InsertLineBreaks to insert a line break every 76 characters, or None to not insert line breaks.

Returns

The string representation in base 64 of the elements in inArray.

Attributes

Exceptions

inArray is null.

options is not a valid Base64FormattingOptions value.

Examples

The following example calls the Convert.ToBase64String(Byte[], Base64FormattingOptions) with a Base64FormattingOptions.InsertLineBreaks argument to insert line breaks in the string that is produced by encoding a 100-element byte array.

C#
using System;

public class Example
{
   public static void Main()
   {
       // Define a byte array.
       var bytes = new byte[100];
       int originalTotal = 0;
       for (int ctr = 0; ctr <= bytes.GetUpperBound(0); ctr++) {
          bytes[ctr] = (byte)(ctr + 1);
          originalTotal += bytes[ctr];
       }
       // Display summary information about the array.
       Console.WriteLine("The original byte array:");
       Console.WriteLine("   Total elements: {0}", bytes.Length);
       Console.WriteLine("   Length of String Representation: {0}",
                         BitConverter.ToString(bytes).Length);
       Console.WriteLine("   Sum of elements: {0:N0}", originalTotal);
       Console.WriteLine();

       // Convert the array to a base 64 string.
       string s = Convert.ToBase64String(bytes,
                                         Base64FormattingOptions.InsertLineBreaks);
       Console.WriteLine("The base 64 string:\n   {0}\n", s);

       // Restore the byte array.
       Byte[] newBytes = Convert.FromBase64String(s);
       int newTotal = 0;
       foreach (var newByte in newBytes)
          newTotal += newByte;

       // Display summary information about the restored array.
       Console.WriteLine("   Total elements: {0}", newBytes.Length);
       Console.WriteLine("   Length of String Representation: {0}",
                         BitConverter.ToString(newBytes).Length);
       Console.WriteLine("   Sum of elements: {0:N0}", newTotal);
   }
}
// The example displays the following output:
//   The original byte array:
//      Total elements: 100
//      Length of String Representation: 299
//      Sum of elements: 5,050
//
//   The base 64 string:
//      AQIDBAUGBwgJCgsMDQ4PEBESExQVFhcYGRobHB0eHyAhIiMkJSYnKCkqKywtLi8wMTIzNDU2Nzg5
//   Ojs8PT4/QEFCQ0RFRkdISUpLTE1OT1BRUlNUVVZXWFlaW1xdXl9gYWJjZA==
//
//      Total elements: 100
//      Length of String Representation: 299
//      Sum of elements: 5,050

As the output from the example shows, the Convert.FromBase64String succeeds in restoring the original byte array; the line break characters are ignored during the conversion.

Remarks

The elements of the inArray parameter are taken as a numeric value and converted to a string representation in base 64.

The base-64 digits in ascending order from zero are the uppercase characters "A" to "Z", the lowercase characters "a" to "z", the numerals "0" to "9", and the symbols "+" and "/". The valueless character "=" is used for trailing padding.

Important

The ToBase64String method is designed to process a single byte array that contains all the data to be encoded. To encode data from a stream, use the System.Security.Cryptography.ToBase64Transform class.

If the options parameter is set to InsertLineBreaks and the output of the conversion is longer than 76 characters, a line break is inserted every 76 characters. A line break is defined as a carriage return character (U+000D) followed by a line feed character (U+000A). Because line breaks are considered white-space characters in a base-64 encoding, they are ignored when converting a base-64 encoded string back to a byte array. The line breaks are simply convenient when displaying the encoded string to a control or a device such as a console window. For more information, see RFC 2045, "Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions", at https://www.rfc-editor.org/.

See also

Applies to

.NET 9 and other versions
Product Versions
.NET Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 2.0, 2.1

ToBase64String(ReadOnlySpan<Byte>, Base64FormattingOptions)

Source:
Convert.cs
Source:
Convert.cs
Source:
Convert.cs

Converts the 8-bit unsigned integers inside the specified read-only span into their equivalent string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits. You can optionally specify whether to insert line breaks in the return value.

C#
public static string ToBase64String (ReadOnlySpan<byte> bytes, Base64FormattingOptions options = System.Base64FormattingOptions.None);

Parameters

bytes
ReadOnlySpan<Byte>

A read-only span of 8-bit unsigned integers.

options
Base64FormattingOptions

One of the enumeration values that specify whether to insert line breaks in the return value. The default value is None.

Returns

The string representation in base 64 of the elements in bytes. If the length of bytes is 0, an empty string is returned.

Exceptions

options is not a valid Base64FormattingOptions value.

The output length was larger than Int32.MaxValue.

Applies to

.NET 9 and other versions
Product Versions
.NET Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Standard 2.1

ToBase64String(Byte[], Int32, Int32)

Source:
Convert.cs
Source:
Convert.cs
Source:
Convert.cs

Converts a subset of an array of 8-bit unsigned integers to its equivalent string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits. Parameters specify the subset as an offset in the input array, and the number of elements in the array to convert.

C#
public static string ToBase64String (byte[] inArray, int offset, int length);

Parameters

inArray
Byte[]

An array of 8-bit unsigned integers.

offset
Int32

An offset in inArray.

length
Int32

The number of elements of inArray to convert.

Returns

The string representation in base 64 of length elements of inArray, starting at position offset.

Exceptions

inArray is null.

offset or length is negative.

-or-

offset plus length is greater than the length of inArray.

Remarks

The elements of inArray are taken as a numeric value and converted to a string representation in base 64.

The base-64 digits in ascending order from zero are the uppercase characters "A" to "Z", the lowercase characters "a" to "z", the numerals "0" to "9", and the symbols "+" and "/". The valueless character, "=", is used for trailing padding.

The offset and length parameters are 32-bit signed numbers. The offset parameter is zero-based.

Important

The ToBase64String method is designed to process a single byte array that contains all the data to be encoded. To encode data from a stream, use the System.Security.Cryptography.ToBase64Transform class.

See also

Applies to

.NET 9 and other versions
Product Versions
.NET Core 1.0, Core 1.1, Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Framework 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 2.0, 2.1
UWP 10.0

ToBase64String(Byte[], Int32, Int32, Base64FormattingOptions)

Source:
Convert.cs
Source:
Convert.cs
Source:
Convert.cs

Converts a subset of an array of 8-bit unsigned integers to its equivalent string representation that is encoded with base-64 digits. Parameters specify the subset as an offset in the input array, the number of elements in the array to convert, and whether to insert line breaks in the return value.

C#
public static string ToBase64String (byte[] inArray, int offset, int length, Base64FormattingOptions options);
C#
[System.Runtime.InteropServices.ComVisible(false)]
public static string ToBase64String (byte[] inArray, int offset, int length, Base64FormattingOptions options);

Parameters

inArray
Byte[]

An array of 8-bit unsigned integers.

offset
Int32

An offset in inArray.

length
Int32

The number of elements of inArray to convert.

options
Base64FormattingOptions

InsertLineBreaks to insert a line break every 76 characters, or None to not insert line breaks.

Returns

The string representation in base 64 of length elements of inArray, starting at position offset.

Attributes

Exceptions

inArray is null.

offset or length is negative.

-or-

offset plus length is greater than the length of inArray.

options is not a valid Base64FormattingOptions value.

Examples

The following example demonstrates the ToBase64String method. The input is divided into groups of three bytes (24 bits) each. Consequently, each group consists of four 6-bit numbers where each number ranges from decimal 0 to 63. In this example, there are 85 3-byte groups with one byte remaining. The first group consists of the hexadecimal values 00, 01, and 02, which yield four 6-bit values equal to decimal 0, 0, 4, and 2. Those four values correspond to the base-64 digits "A", "A", "E", and "C" at the beginning of the output.

If an integral number of 3-byte groups does not exist, the remaining bytes are effectively padded with zeros to form a complete group. In this example, the value of the last byte is hexadecimal FF. The first 6 bits are equal to decimal 63, which corresponds to the base-64 digit "/" at the end of the output, and the next 2 bits are padded with zeros to yield decimal 48, which corresponds to the base-64 digit, "w". The last two 6-bit values are padding and correspond to the valueless padding character, "=".

C#
// This example demonstrates the Convert.ToBase64String() and
//                               Convert.FromBase64String() methods

using System;
class Sample
{
    public static void Main()
    {
    byte[] inArray  = new byte[256];
    byte[] outArray = new byte[256];
    string s2;
    string s3;
    string step1 = "1) The input is a byte array (inArray) of arbitrary data.";
    string step2 = "2) Convert a subarray of the input data array to a base 64 string.";
    string step3 = "3) Convert the entire input data array to a base 64 string.";
    string step4 = "4) The two methods in steps 2 and 3 produce the same result: {0}";
    string step5 = "5) Convert the base 64 string to an output byte array (outArray).";
    string step6 = "6) The input and output arrays, inArray and outArray, are equal: {0}";
    int x;
    string nl = Environment.NewLine;
    string ruler1a = "         1         2         3         4";
    string ruler2a = "1234567890123456789012345678901234567890";
    string ruler3a = "----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+";
    string ruler1b = "         5         6         7      ";
    string ruler2b = "123456789012345678901234567890123456";
    string ruler3b = "----+----+----+----+----+----+----+-";
    string ruler   = String.Concat(ruler1a, ruler1b, nl,
                                   ruler2a, ruler2b, nl,
                                   ruler3a, ruler3b, nl);

// 1) Display an arbitrary array of input data (inArray). The data could be
//    derived from user input, a file, an algorithm, etc.

    Console.WriteLine(step1);
    Console.WriteLine();
    for (x = 0; x < inArray.Length; x++)
        {
        inArray[x] = (byte)x;
        Console.Write("{0:X2} ", inArray[x]);
        if (((x+1)%20) == 0) Console.WriteLine();
        }
    Console.Write("{0}{0}", nl);

// 2) Convert a subarray of the input data to a base64 string. In this case,
//    the subarray is the entire input data array. New lines (CRLF) are inserted.

    Console.WriteLine(step2);
    s2 = Convert.ToBase64String(inArray, 0, inArray.Length,
                                Base64FormattingOptions.InsertLineBreaks);
    Console.WriteLine("{0}{1}{2}{3}", nl, ruler, s2, nl);

// 3) Convert the input data to a base64 string. In this case, the entire
//    input data array is converted by default. New lines (CRLF) are inserted.

    Console.WriteLine(step3);
    s3 = Convert.ToBase64String(inArray, Base64FormattingOptions.InsertLineBreaks);

// 4) Test whether the methods in steps 2 and 3 produce the same result.
    Console.WriteLine(step4, s2.Equals(s3));

// 5) Convert the base 64 string to an output array (outArray).
    Console.WriteLine(step5);
    outArray = Convert.FromBase64String(s2);

// 6) Is outArray equal to inArray?
   Console.WriteLine(step6, ArraysAreEqual(inArray, outArray));
   }

    public static bool ArraysAreEqual(byte[] a1, byte[] a2)
    {
    if (a1.Length != a2.Length) return false;
    for (int i = 0; i < a1.Length; i++)
        if (a1[i] != a2[i]) return false;
    return true;
    }
}
/*
This example produces the following results:

1) The input is a byte array (inArray) of arbitrary data.

00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 0A 0B 0C 0D 0E 0F 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 1A 1B 1C 1D 1E 1F 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 2A 2B 2C 2D 2E 2F 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 3A 3B
3C 3D 3E 3F 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 4A 4B 4C 4D 4E 4F
50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 5A 5B 5C 5D 5E 5F 60 61 62 63
64 65 66 67 68 69 6A 6B 6C 6D 6E 6F 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77
78 79 7A 7B 7C 7D 7E 7F 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 8A 8B
8C 8D 8E 8F 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 9A 9B 9C 9D 9E 9F
A0 A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 A7 A8 A9 AA AB AC AD AE AF B0 B1 B2 B3
B4 B5 B6 B7 B8 B9 BA BB BC BD BE BF C0 C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7
C8 C9 CA CB CC CD CE CF D0 D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9 DA DB
DC DD DE DF E0 E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 E8 E9 EA EB EC ED EE EF
F0 F1 F2 F3 F4 F5 F6 F7 F8 F9 FA FB FC FD FE FF

2) Convert a subarray of the input data array to a base 64 string.

         1         2         3         4         5         6         7
1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456
----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+----+-
AAECAwQFBgcICQoLDA0ODxAREhMUFRYXGBkaGxwdHh8gISIjJCUmJygpKissLS4vMDEyMzQ1Njc4
OTo7PD0+P0BBQkNERUZHSElKS0xNTk9QUVJTVFVWV1hZWltcXV5fYGFiY2RlZmdoaWprbG1ub3Bx
cnN0dXZ3eHl6e3x9fn+AgYKDhIWGh4iJiouMjY6PkJGSk5SVlpeYmZqbnJ2en6ChoqOkpaanqKmq
q6ytrq+wsbKztLW2t7i5uru8vb6/wMHCw8TFxsfIycrLzM3Oz9DR0tPU1dbX2Nna29zd3t/g4eLj
5OXm5+jp6uvs7e7v8PHy8/T19vf4+fr7/P3+/w==

3) Convert the entire input data array to a base 64 string.
4) The two methods in steps 2 and 3 produce the same result: True
5) Convert the base 64 string to an output byte array (outArray).
6) The input and output arrays, inArray and outArray, are equal: True

*/

Remarks

The elements of the inArray parameter are taken as a numeric value and converted to a string representation in base 64.

The base-64 digits in ascending order from zero are the uppercase characters "A" to "Z", the lowercase characters "a" to "z", the numerals "0" to "9", and the symbols "+" and "/". The valueless character "=" is used for trailing padding.

The offset and length parameters are 32-bit signed numbers. The offset parameter is zero-based.

Important

The ToBase64String method is designed to process a single byte array that contains all the data to be encoded. To encode data from a stream, use the System.Security.Cryptography.ToBase64Transform class.

If the options parameter is set to InsertLineBreaks and the output of the conversion is longer than 76 characters, a line break is inserted every 76 characters. A line break is defined as a carriage return character (U+000D) followed by a line feed character (U+000A). For more information, see RFC 2045, "Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions", at https://www.rfc-editor.org/.

See also

Applies to

.NET 9 and other versions
Product Versions
.NET Core 2.0, Core 2.1, Core 2.2, Core 3.0, Core 3.1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
.NET Framework 2.0, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 4.5.1, 4.5.2, 4.6, 4.6.1, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.7.1, 4.7.2, 4.8, 4.8.1
.NET Standard 2.0, 2.1