basenc
basenc is the general encoding command. Where base32 and base64 each do one encoding, basenc does many — the encoding is chosen by an option.
basenc encoding [options] [file]
$ echo Peios | basenc --base16
5065696F730A
Every run of basenc must name an encoding. With no file, it reads standard input.
The encodings #
| Option | Encoding |
|---|---|
--base64 | Standard base64 — the same as the base64 command. |
--base64url | Base64 with a file- and URL-safe alphabet. |
--base32 | Standard base32 — the same as the base32 command. |
--base32hex | Base32 with the extended-hex alphabet. |
--base16 | Hexadecimal. |
--base2msbf | A bit string, most-significant bit first. |
--base2lsbf | A bit string, least-significant bit first. |
--z85 | A compact, ASCII85-style encoding. When encoding, the input length must be a multiple of 4; when decoding, a multiple of 5. |
--base58 | Base58 — an alphabet chosen so its characters are not visually confusable. |
Options #
By default basenc encodes. These options apply to whichever encoding you chose:
| Option | Effect |
|---|---|
-d, --decode | Decode instead of encode. |
-i, --ignore-garbage | When decoding, skip characters that are not part of the alphabet. |
-w, --wrap=COLS | When encoding, wrap output to lines of COLS characters. -w 0 disables wrapping. |
basenc and the dedicated commands #
For plain base64 or base32, base64 and base32 are the shorter way to ask. Use basenc when you need an encoding the dedicated commands do not offer — hex, URL-safe base64, the bit-string forms, z85, or base58.
Exit status #
| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
0 | Success. |
1 | No encoding was named, a file could not be read, or the input was not valid for the chosen encoding. |