# Security & Encoding Tools

Security and encoding tools cover the jobs that protect accounts and keep data intact as it moves between systems: generating and checking passwords, hashing text and files, encrypting messages, reading keys and certificates, working with two-factor codes and encoding data as Base64. The hub also includes classical ciphers for puzzles and teaching.

## Subcategories

- [Passwords](https://techolm.com/security-tools/passwords) (0 tools)
- [Hashes & Checksums](https://techolm.com/security-tools/hashes-checksums) (0 tools)
- [Encrypt & Decrypt](https://techolm.com/security-tools/encrypt-decrypt) (0 tools)
- [Keys & Certificates](https://techolm.com/security-tools/keys-certificates) (0 tools)
- [Tokens & 2FA](https://techolm.com/security-tools/tokens-2fa) (0 tools)
- [Encode & Decode](https://techolm.com/security-tools/encode-decode) (0 tools)
- [Classical Ciphers](https://techolm.com/security-tools/classical-ciphers) (0 tools)
- [Breach & Safety Checks](https://techolm.com/security-tools/breach-safety-checks) (0 tools)

## Tools

- Password Generator (Coming soon): Generate strong random passwords or passphrases with the length and character types you choose.
- Hash Generator (Coming soon): Create MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256 and SHA-512 hashes of any text to compare or verify values.
- JWT Decoder (Coming soon): Decode a JSON Web Token to read its header, payload claims and expiry time.
- Base64 Encode and Decode (Coming soon): Encode text to Base64 or decode a Base64 string back to readable text.
- URL Encode and Decode (Coming soon): Percent-encode text for use in a URL, or decode an encoded URL back to readable text.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Base64 a form of encryption?

No. Base64 is an encoding, defined in RFC 4648, that writes any data with 64 printable characters, and anyone can decode it without a key. Use encryption, such as AES, when data must stay confidential.

### What is the difference between hashing and encryption?

Hashing is one-way: it turns data of any size into a fixed-length digest that cannot practically be turned back into the original, which makes it useful for checking integrity. Encryption is two-way: data encrypted with a key can be decrypted by anyone who has the right key.

### What makes a password strong?

A strong password is long, random and used for only one account. A randomly generated password of 16 or more characters is far harder to guess than a short word with letter substitutions, and a password manager removes the need to remember it. NIST Special Publication 800-63B also tells services to reject passwords found in lists of commonly used or compromised passwords.