Base64
Base64 byte strings in Internet Object
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Base64 byte strings in Internet Object
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A Base64 Byte String in Internet Object is a sequence of binary data encoded in Base64 format, prefixed with b and enclosed in either single quotes (' U+0027) or double quotes (" U+0022). Byte strings are ideal for representing binary data such as images, encrypted content, cryptographic keys, or any arbitrary sequence of bytes in a text-based format.
Base64 byte strings are scalar values that represent binary data. The content between the quotes must be valid Base64 encoding according to RFC 4648.
A Base64 byte string is prefixed with b and enclosed in either single or double quotes. The content must be valid Base64 encoding.
base64String = "b" (singleQuotedBase64 | doubleQuotedBase64)
singleQuotedBase64 = "'" base64Content "'"
doubleQuotedBase64 = '"' base64Content '"'
base64Content = { base64Character }
base64Character = "A" | "B" | "C" | ... | "Z" | "a" | "b" | ... | "z" | "0" | "1" | ... | "9" | "+" | "/" | "="The following characters are used to structure Base64 byte strings:
b
Byte Prefix
U+0062
Indicates Base64 byte string type
'
Single Quote
U+0027
Encloses Base64 content
"
Double Quote
U+0022
Encloses Base64 content
A-Z
Uppercase Letters
U+0041-U+005A
Base64 alphabet
a-z
Lowercase Letters
U+0061-U+007A
Base64 alphabet
0-9
Digits
U+0030-U+0039
Base64 alphabet
+
Plus Sign
U+002B
Base64 alphabet
/
Forward Slash
U+002F
Base64 alphabet
=
Equals Sign
U+003D
Base64 padding character
Note: Only valid Base64 characters are allowed within the quotes. Invalid characters will result in a parsing error.
Examples of valid Base64 byte strings:
b'SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ=' # "Hello World" in Base64
b"SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ=" # Same as above with double quotes
b'iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAYAAAAfFcSJAAAADUlEQVR42mP8/5+hHgAHggJ/PchI7wAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==' # PNG image data
b'QWxhZGRpbjpvcGVuIHNlc2FtZQ==' # "Aladdin:open sesame" in Base64
b'' # Empty byte string
b"" # Empty byte string (double quotes)
b'TWFu' # "Man" in Base64
b'TWE=' # "Ma" in Base64 (with padding)
b'TQ==' # "M" in Base64 (with padding)Whitespace: Leading and trailing whitespace around the quotes are ignored. Internal whitespace within the Base64 content is not allowed.
Empty Representation: Empty byte strings are supported (b'' or b"").
Case Sensitivity: The prefix must be lowercase b. The Base64 content is case-sensitive as per RFC 4648.
Padding: Proper Base64 padding with = characters is required for correct decoding.
Validation: The parser validates that the content is valid Base64 and can be decoded to binary data.
Examples of invalid Base64 byte strings:
bSGVsbG8= # ✗ Missing quotes
b'SGVsbG8 gV29ybGQ=' # ✗ Space within Base64 content
b'SGVsbG8@V29ybGQ=' # ✗ Invalid character '@' in Base64
b'SGVsbG8' # ✗ Invalid Base64 (missing padding)
b'SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ' # ✗ Invalid Base64 (incomplete)
B'SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ= # ✗ Missing closing quote
b''SGVsbG8gV29ybGQ='' # ✗ Double quotes around contentInternet Object preserves:
The exact Base64 encoding as written
The choice of single or double quotes
The lowercase b prefix
It does not interpret or enforce:
The format or structure of the decoded binary data
Application-specific constraints on the binary content
Compression or encoding within the binary data
When processed by an Internet Object parser:
The Base64 content is decoded into a sequence of bytes
The resulting binary data is typically represented as a byte array or buffer
Invalid Base64 content results in a parsing error
The decoded data maintains the exact binary representation