What is Base32?

Base32 is a binary-to-text encoding that uses 32 characters (A–Z and 2–7), defined in RFC 4648. It encodes 5 bits per character, expanding data by about 60%. Base32 is case-insensitive (when using the standard alphabet) and avoids easily confused characters like 0, O, 1, I. Used in TOTP (Google Authenticator), DNS, and some APIs. Base32 produces longer output than Base64 but is useful when case sensitivity or certain characters must be avoided.