Base32

Base32 is a way to represent binary data in a text format using a restricted set of 32 alphanumeric characters, typically the uppercase letters A through Z and the digits 2 through 7. Defined in RFC 4648, it encodes every 5 bits of data into one character, which makes it easy to handle in systems that work best with human-readable text, such as QR codes, DNS, or secret keys in TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) applications.

One of the main advantages of Base32 (especially compared to Base64) is that it avoids the use of symbols like + and /, making it safer for certain file systems and URLs. However, it typically produces slightly longer output than Base64 because each encoded character carries fewer bits of information.