Binary uses only 0 and 1. It is the language of computers since transistors have two states: on (1) and off (0). Example: 255 in decimal = 11111111 in binary.

What is hexadecimal (base 16)?

Hexadecimal uses digits 0-9 and letters A-F. It is widely used in programming for colors, memory addresses and byte values. Example: 255 = FF in hex.

What is octal (base 8)?

Octal uses digits 0-7. It was historically used in computing and is still used in Unix file permissions. Example: 255 = 377 in octal.

Why do programmers use hexadecimal?

Each hex digit represents exactly 4 binary bits, making it compact and easy to read. A byte (8 bits) is always exactly 2 hex digits. For example FF = 11111111 in binary.

What is base 64?

Base64 is different from numeric bases — it is an encoding scheme for binary data using 64 characters. Check our Base64 Encoder tool for that!