3ee7d7a3ac
Single-file browser tool that decodes a base64 string and saves the result back out as a file. No server, no dependencies, nothing uploaded. Input cleanup covers data URIs, URL-safe alphabet, missing padding, line wrapping, percent-encoding and wrapping quotes. Type detection runs magic bytes (~30 signatures), then the data URI's declared MIME, then UTF-8 content sniffing for SVG/HTML/XML/JSON/PEM; unrecognised payloads fall back to .bin with a hex dump. Images, audio, video, PDF and text are previewed inline before download.
61 lines
2.6 KiB
Markdown
61 lines
2.6 KiB
Markdown
# Base64 → File
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A single-file web tool that decodes a base64 string and saves the result back out as a real file. Useful for pulling attachments out of API responses, log dumps, JSON payloads, config blobs and `data:` URIs without hunting for a working online decoder — and without pasting anything sensitive into someone else's website.
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## What it does
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Open `base64-decoder.html` in any browser, paste the base64, and the decoded file appears on the right — type detected, previewed, ready to download.
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Everything runs locally in the page. There is no server, no build step, no dependencies, and nothing is ever uploaded.
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```bash
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xdg-open base64-decoder/base64-decoder.html
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```
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## Input handling
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The input is cleaned up before decoding, so most real-world paste jobs work as-is:
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| Input | Handled |
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|---|---|
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| `data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0...` | Prefix stripped, MIME type read from the header |
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| Line-wrapped / indented base64 | All whitespace removed |
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| URL-safe base64 (`-` and `_`) | Converted to standard `+` and `/` |
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| Missing `=` padding | Restored |
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| Percent-encoded (`%2B`) | URL-decoded first |
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| Wrapping quotes from a JSON value | Trimmed |
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Invalid input gives a specific reason — the offending character, or a truncated length — rather than a generic failure.
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## Type detection
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The file type is worked out in three passes, in order of reliability:
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1. **Magic bytes** — ~30 signatures covering PNG, JPEG, GIF, WEBP, BMP, ICO, PDF, ZIP, GZIP, BZ2, XZ, 7z, RAR, TAR, MP3, MP4, MKV, OGG, FLAC, WAV, AVI, SQLite, TTF/OTF/WOFF/WOFF2, ELF, EXE and Java class files
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2. **Data URI header** — if the input was a `data:` URI, its declared MIME type supplies the extension
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3. **Content sniffing** — payloads that decode as valid UTF-8 are checked for SVG, HTML, XML, JSON, PEM and shell scripts
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Anything unrecognised falls back to `application/octet-stream` and a `.bin` extension. The suggested filename is always editable before saving.
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## Preview
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| Decoded type | Preview |
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|---|---|
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| Images | Rendered inline |
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| Audio / video | Playable with controls |
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| PDF | Embedded viewer |
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| Text-based | Syntax-free text view, plus a **Copy text** button |
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| Anything else | Hex dump of the first 192 bytes with an ASCII column |
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## Shortcuts
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- **Drag and drop** a `.txt` / `.b64` file onto the input to load its contents
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- **Ctrl/Cmd + S** downloads the decoded file
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- **Enter** in the filename field downloads immediately
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## Requirements
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Any modern browser. Works straight from `file://` — no web server needed.
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The **Paste** button uses the clipboard API, which some browsers restrict on `file://` pages; if it does nothing, use Ctrl+V in the input instead.
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