What Is data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4=
Have you ever encountered a unique string such as data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4= and wondered what it represented? It can be viewed as either mysterious or gibberish. Nevertheless, it is based on a popular web pattern. In this article, I will explain what this kind of string is, how it works, and what you can do with it.
What Is A data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4=
A “data URI” (also called a data URL) is an embedded file; it is a small file that is loaded into a text, such as HTML or CSS, rather than pointing to an external file. The overall pattern is:
data:[mime-type] [;charset=encoding] [;base64],<data>
The mime-type indicates the type of data (e.g., text/html or image/png).
Charsets can give character encoding (for text content).
Base64 denotes that the data was encoded in base64, a technique of encoding binary or arbitrary text data in ASCII characters.
Next, there is the actual data (encoded where necessary).
Thus, a base64-encoded snippet of HTML content set is defined as, data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4.
Decoding The “data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4=”
We will examine each of them separately:
Data: – it begins with the data URI scheme.
Text/html – This means that data is in HTML text.
charset=utf-8 – means that the text is coded in UTF-8 (a common text coding).
base64 – this means that the following after the comma is a base64 encoding of the HTML.
pgh0bww + pgjvzhk + p c9ib2r5 pjwvahrtbd4= – that is the encrypted part.
Decoding the part of the base64 will provide the raw data in HTML. The concept here is that your browser or parser realizes this, and it takes it as an HTML file and embedding it into position.
The same string is to be observed: data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4=. When it is used in a webpage, the page is able to incorporate this chunk without downloading a separate .html file onto the server.
Know The Use Of Strings In data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4=
The following are some of the common explanations:
- Inlining small resources: A data URI eliminates another network request for small snippets of HTML, images, or styles.
- Portability: You can put everything in one HTML or text file.
- Sandboxing and isolation: Embedding the content can assist in containing or isolating the content.
- Dynamic generation: Some systems dynamically generate either HTML or images, and embed them in pages or scripts as base64 data.
However, URIs that contain data cannot be used with large volumes of content. Base64 increases size (approximately 33 percent) and can reduce the benefits of caching.
How Does data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4= Functions Practically?
When I put a string, data: text/html;charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4=, into a base64 decoder (after the comma), the result is a series of bytes. Then, these bytes are interpreted in the form of HTML text (because of text/html; charset=utf-8). A browser will consider it as a small HTML file.
The decoded HTML is sometimes very short, only made up of opening and closing tags or empty body tags. You have a situation, in any event, where you have some data, like this: data:text/html; charset=utf-8; base64, PGh0bWw+PGJvZHk+PC9ib2R5PjwvaHRtbD4=.
This decodes to: <html><body></body></html>
The version, data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4= is more or less the same, but it uses different characters (scrambled or deliberately obfuscated).
It can also be used as a hyperlink, e.g., <a href=”data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4=”>Open embedded page</a>
Once you have clicked that link, you will find a new document, and the embedded HTML will be its contents.
Limitations And Caution On Data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4=
Size Limitations: URIs with large amounts of data would be potentially slow and inefficient.
Browser Support: There is no problem with data URIs in the new browsers; however, the old browsers may not be operating effectively.
Readability: The base64 string cannot be read by a human without decryption
Security: In case you embed untrusted content, you might end up running a script or HTML that you had not intended to run.
Due to such restrictions, data URIs are best applied to small and trusted content.
Summary On data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4=.
It is only an example of a data URI with that strange string. It bases a sample of HTML using base64. It is read by the browser or parsed, and the base64 is decoded, and then it is interpreted as HTML. Take into account the sample data:text/html;charset=utf-8;base64,pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4= to be a small web page wrapped up in a text string. Use it when you want to embed the HTML without external files; however, with smaller volumes of content.
In conclusion, the data:text/html; charset=utf-8;base64, pgh0bww+pgjvzhk+pc9ib2r5pjwvahrtbd4= is an HTML string that enables one to insert HTML directly into text. It is of the common format of data URIs. When the base64 part is decoded, the HTML data appears, which is regarded by the browser as an independent HTML resource.
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