Base58 Encoder/Decoder

Convert between plain text and Base58 encoded strings with this simple tool. Essential for working with blockchain addresses and other applications requiring compact, human-readable encoded data.

Base58 Encoder/Decoder

Operation Mode

Text to encode to Base58

Base58 encoded result

Typical Use Cases

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency addresses
Encoding data where similar-looking characters need to be avoided
IPFS content identifiers (CIDs)
Creating human-readable identifiers that are shorter than Base64
Blockchain and distributed systems data encoding

About Base58

Base58 Encoding: Similar to Base64 but omits similar-looking characters (0, O, I, l) and non-alphanumeric characters
Character Set: 123456789ABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijkmnopqrstuvwxyz
Benefits: Human-readable, eliminates visual ambiguity, avoids special characters that may cause issues in URLs or file systems
Common Implementations: Bitcoin addresses, IPFS CIDs, Flickr short URLs

Base58 vs Other Encodings

Base58 vs Base64:

Base58 omits 6 characters: 0, O, I, l, +, /
Base58 is more compact for certain data types
Base58 is more human-readable and error-resistant
Base64 is more widespread and standardized

Base58 vs Hexadecimal:

Base58 produces shorter output (33% more compact)
Hex is simpler to implement and more widely supported
Base58 avoids visual ambiguity between characters

Base58 in Cryptocurrencies

Base58 encoding is commonly used in cryptocurrencies for creating human-readable addresses and identifiers:

Bitcoin (Base58Check)

Bitcoin uses an extension called Base58Check which includes checksum verification to prevent typos:

1. Add version byte prefix to data
2. Calculate double SHA-256 checksum
3. Append 4 bytes of checksum
4. Encode resulting bytes with Base58

Example: 1A1zP1eP5QGefi2DMPTfTL5SLmv7DivfNa (first Bitcoin address ever)

Other Implementations

Ripple: Addresses begin with 'r'
Monero: Uses Base58 for addresses
IPFS: Content identifiers use multibase prefixed Base58
Flickr: Short URLs for photo identifiers

Code Example

JavaScript (with bs58 library)

// npm install bs58
const bs58 = require('bs58')

// Encoding to Base58
const bytes = Buffer.from('Hello World')
const encoded = bs58.encode(bytes)
console.log(encoded)
// Outputs: 'JxF12TrwUP45BMd'

// Decoding from Base58
const decoded = bs58.decode('JxF12TrwUP45BMd')
console.log(decoded.toString())
// Outputs: 'Hello World'

Python (with base58 library)

# pip install base58
import base58

# Encoding to Base58
encoded = base58.b58encode(b'Hello World')
print(encoded.decode())
# Outputs: 'JxF12TrwUP45BMd'

# Decoding from Base58
decoded = base58.b58decode(b'JxF12TrwUP45BMd')
print(decoded.decode())
# Outputs: 'Hello World'