# Base64 encoding/decoding API

- [API reference](https://docs.qualcomm.com/doc/80-41102-2/topic/_doxygen_rst_file__doxygen_sources_include_le_base64_h.html#file-le-base64-h)

This module implements encoding binary data into base64-encoded string, which contains only the characters that belong to the base64 alphabet: ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/=

This allows to convert the binary data into a form that is suitable for serialization into a text file (without conflicting with special characters and markup elements), and for sending through the channels that do not support arbitrary binary data.

Encoded data is about 33% larger in size than the original binary data. Padding characters ‘=’ are added to the end of the encoded string, to make the string length multiple of 4.

The following sample performs base64 encoding and decoding:

void Base64EncodeDecodeExample
    (
        void
    )
    {
        // allocate 4-byte array and fill it with some data
        uint8_t binBuf[4] = {1, 2, 3, 4};
        // use macro to calculate the encoded size, add 1 byte for terminating 0
        char encodedBuf[LE_BASE64_ENCODED_SIZE(sizeof(binBuf)) + 1];
        uint8_t decodedBuf[4] = {0};
    
        // perform encoding
        size_t len = sizeof(encodedBuf);
        le_result_t result = le_base64_Encode(binBuf,
                                              sizeof(binBuf),
                                              encodedBuf,
                                              &len);
        if (LE_OK != result)
        {
            LE_ERROR("Error %d encoding data!", result);
        }
        LE_INFO("Encoded string [%s] size %zd", encodedBuf, len);
    
        // perform decoding
        len = sizeof(decodedBuf);
        result = le_base64_Decode(encodedBuf,
                                  strlen(encodedBuf),
                                  decodedBuf,
                                  &len);
        if (LE_OK != result)
        {
            LE_ERROR("Error %d decoding data!", result);
        }
        LE_INFO("Decoded length: %zd", len);
        LE_INFO("Decoded data: %u %u %u %u",
                 decodedBuf[0], decodedBuf[1],
                 decodedBuf[2], decodedBuf[3]);
    }
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Copyright (C) Sierra Wireless Inc.

Last Published: Jul 29, 2026

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