Binary

Binary values written as Base64 byte strings.

A binary value is a sequence of raw bytes carried as text. It is written as a Base64 byte string: the prefix b followed by Base64 content in single or double quotes. Binary values suit images, encrypted content, cryptographic keys, or any arbitrary byte sequence in an otherwise text-based document.

The content between the quotes is Base64 per RFC 4648. Base64 is the encoding; binary is the value type.

Implementation status (beta). Binary literals are not yet available in the reference implementation: b'…' and b"…" currently raise a syntax error (unexpected-token), and no binary schema type is registered. This page documents the intended design; the examples below are illustrative and are not yet executable. Track progress in the Roadmap.

Syntax

A binary value is prefixed with b and enclosed in single or double quotes; the content must be valid Base64.

binaryValue = "b" (singleQuotedBase64 | doubleQuotedBase64)
singleQuotedBase64 = "'" base64Content "'"
doubleQuotedBase64 = '"' base64Content '"'
base64Content   = { base64Character }
base64Character = "A"…"Z" | "a"…"z" | "0"…"9" | "+" | "/" | "="

Structural characters

Symbol	Name	Unicode	Description
b	Byte prefix	U+0062	Marks the value as a Base64 byte string
'	Single quote	U+0027	Encloses the Base64 content
"	Double quote	U+0022	Encloses the Base64 content
A–Z, a–z, 0–9	Base64 alphabet	—	Base64 data characters
+, /	Base64 alphabet	U+002B, U+002F	Base64 data characters
=	Padding	U+003D	Base64 padding

Valid forms

b'SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ='        # "Hello World"
b"SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ="        # same, with double quotes
b'QWxhZGRpbjpvcGVuIHNlc2FtZQ=='   # "Aladdin:open sesame"
b'TWFu'                    # "Man"  (no padding needed)
b'TWE='                    # "Ma"   (one pad)
b'TQ=='                    # "M"    (two pads)
b''                        # empty byte string

Invalid forms

b'SGVsbG8 gV29ybGQ='       # ✗ invalid-binary — space within the Base64 content
b'SGVsbG8@V29ybGQ='        # ✗ invalid-binary — invalid character '@'
B'SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ='        # ✗ unknown-annotation — the prefix must be lower-case `b`
b'SGVsbG8=                 # ✗ unterminated-string — no closing quote

Without quotes there is no annotation at all, so nothing announces a binary literal and the text is an ordinary open string:

---
bSGVsbG8=                  # → "bSGVsbG8=" — a string, not binary

Behavior

• Whitespace — leading and trailing whitespace around the quotes is ignored; whitespace inside the Base64 content is not allowed.

• Prefix case — the prefix MUST be lower-case b; the Base64 content is case-sensitive.

• Padding — standard = padding is required for correct decoding.

• Decoding — a parser decodes the content into a byte sequence (commonly a byte array or buffer) and preserves the exact bytes; invalid Base64 is a parse error.

Internet Object does not interpret the structure of the decoded bytes — any format, compression, or application meaning is the application's concern.

See Also

• Value Representations — all value types

• Binary — the binary schema type

• Strings — text values (open, regular, raw)