---
name: "basenc"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "coreutils"
version: "9.12-2"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/basenc"
---

# basenc(1)

Encode/decode data and print to standard output

## NAME

basenc - Encode/decode data and print to standard output

## SYNOPSIS

**basenc** \[*OPTION*\]... \[*FILE*\]

## DESCRIPTION

basenc encode or decode FILE, or standard input, to standard output.

With no FILE, or when FILE is -, read standard input.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

- **--base64**

  same as [**base64**(1)](/base64/1.md) program (RFC4648 section 4)

- **--base64url**

  file- and url-safe base64 (RFC4648 section 5)

- **--base58**

  visually unambiguous base58 encoding

- **--base32**

  same as [**base32**(1)](/base32/1.md) program (RFC4648 section 6)

- **--base32hex**

  extended hex alphabet base32 (RFC4648 section 7)

- **--base16**

  hex encoding (RFC4648 section 8)

- **--base2msbf**

  bit string with most significant bit (msb) first

- **--base2lsbf**

  bit string with least significant bit (lsb) first

- **-d, --decode**

  decode data

- **-i, --ignore-garbage**

  when decoding, ignore non-alphabet characters

- **-w, --wrap=COLS**

  wrap encoded lines after COLS character (default 76). Use 0 to disable line wrapping

- **--z85**

  ascii85-like encoding (ZeroMQ spec:32/Z85); when encoding, input length must be a multiple of 4; when decoding, input length must be a multiple of 5

- **--help**

  display this help and exit

- **--version**

  output version information and exit

When decoding, the input may contain newlines in addition to the bytes of the formal alphabet.  Use **--ignore-garbage** to attempt to recover from any other non-alphabet bytes in the encoded stream.

## ENCODING EXAMPLES

```
$ printf '\376\117\202' | basenc --base64
/k+C
$ printf '\376\117\202' | basenc --base64url
_k-C
$ printf '\376\117\202' | basenc --base32
7ZHYE===
$ printf '\376\117\202' | basenc --base32hex
VP7O4===
$ printf '\376\117\202' | basenc --base16
FE4F82
$ printf '\376\117\202' | basenc --base2lsbf
011111111111001001000001
$ printf '\376\117\202' | basenc --base2msbf
111111100100111110000010
$ printf '\376\117\202\000' | basenc --z85
@.FaC
```

## AUTHOR

Written by Simon Josefsson and Assaf Gordon.

## REPORTING BUGS

Report bugs to: \<bug-coreutils@gnu.org\>.\
 Report any translation bugs to: \<https://translationproject.org/team/\>.\
 GNU coreutils home page: \<https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/\>\
 General help using GNU software: \<https://www.gnu.org/gethelp/\>

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2026 Free Software Foundation, Inc. License GPLv3+: GNU GPL version 3 or later \<https://gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html\>.\
 This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it. There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.

## SEE ALSO

Full documentation \<https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/basenc\>\
 or available locally via: info '(coreutils) basenc invocation'