The original title is "3 Times You Need Base64 (and One Time You Definitely Don't)"

Short summary

Base64 encodes binary data as text for systems that can't handle raw bytes. Use it for inline images under 5KB, JSON file uploads, and JWT/Basic Auth headers; avoid for security since it's trivially reversible. Prefer separate files with caching for payloads over 5KB.

• •Use Base64 for inline images (< 5KB), JSON file uploads, and JWT/Basic Auth headers
• •Adds ~33% file size inflation—use separate files for larger assets
• •Base64 is encoding, not encryption—provides zero security protection

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