Web Tools
Base85 Encoder/Decoder
Encode and decode text using Base85 (Ascii85) encoding with support for Adobe Ascii85, Z85 (ZeroMQ), and RFC 1924 (IPv6) variants. Handles partial groups, zero-byte shortcuts, and delimiter wrapping. Runs entirely in your browser — your data never leaves your machine.
base85 ascii85 z85 encoder decoder encoding
Published May 30, 2026
All interactive tools run entirely in your browser. Your data never leaves your device.
How It Works
Enter text to encode or a Base85 string to decode. The tool supports three encoding variants — each using a different 85-character alphabet. Base85 is more space-efficient than Base64 (4:5 ratio vs 3:4), making it ideal for embedding binary data in text.
Features
- 3 variants: Adobe Ascii85 (
<~ ~>delimiters), Z85 (ZeroMQ), RFC 1924 (IPv6) - Encode & decode: bidirectional conversion with a single toggle
- Zero shortcut: Ascii85
zcharacter for four consecutive zero bytes - Partial groups: handles input that isn’t a multiple of 4 bytes
- Whitespace tolerance: strips whitespace from Ascii85 encoded input
- Stats: input/output size, compression ratio, active variant
- 5 examples: Hello World, short text, numbers, all zeros, URL
- Private: runs entirely in the browser — no data transmitted
Use Cases
- Embedding binary data in PostScript/PDF documents (Ascii85)
- ZeroMQ message encoding (Z85)
- Compact binary-to-text encoding when Base64 is too large
- Understanding encoding differences between Base64, Base85, and Base58
- Educational exploration of base encoding algorithms