libb64 1.2.1 review

libb64 is a library of ANSI C routines for fast encoding/decoding data into and from a base64-encoded format

License: Public Domain File size: 0K Developer: Chris Venter

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libb64 is a library of ANSI C routines for fast encoding/decoding data into and from a base64-encoded format. C++ wrappers are included, as well as the source code for standalone encoding and decoding executables.

Base64 uses a subset of displayable ASCII characters, and is therefore a useful encoding for storing binary data in a text file, such as XML, or sending binary data over text-only email.

I did this because I needed a fast C++ implementation of base64 encoding and decoding, without any licensing problems. Some implementations are released under either the GNU/GPL, or a BSD-variant, which is not what I require. Some decent ones are available in Java, but as mentioned, I need C++ code.

The available code is mostly slow as well, and complicated to understand, use and maintain. Base64 encoding and decoding is ideally suited to be implemented using co-routines, which make the code more compact, easier to read, and easier to use.