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Z-Base-32

Tool to decode / encode with the Z-Base-32. ZBase32 is a variant of base 32 which is intended to be improved for use and transcription by humans.

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Z-Base-32 -

Tag(s) : Character Encoding

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Z-Base-32

z-base-32 Decoder

 








z-base-32 Encoder

 

Answers to Questions (FAQ)

What is the z-base-32? (Definition)

z-base-32 encoding is a variant of base 32 (standard RFC 3548) proposed by Zooko O'Whielacronx and made to optimize the writing and the reading by the humans. z-base-32 code uses 32 characters ybndrfg8ejkmcpqxot1uwisza345h769 ie. the 36 alphanumeric characters excluding 4 characters that can be confused with others: 0,l,v,2. The order of the alphabet is also changed (instead of abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz234567) in order to favor the common letters (vowels) and make the coded messages pronounceable. Also, the superfluous characters = appearing at the end of base32 and base64 codes are removed.

How to encrypt using z-base-32 cipher?

The plain message is treated as a binary string.

Example: Z is encoded in ASCII (8-bit) 01011010

The string is divided into 5-bit blocks (supplemented if necessary by 0).

Example: The split gives the 10 bits 01011,01000 (with two' 0's added at the end)

Each block of 5 bits is then encoded via the alphabet of z-base-32 by its corresponding character:

00000y00001b00010n00011d
00100r00101f00110g001118
01000e01001j01010k01011m
01100c01101p01110q01111x
10000o10001t10010110011u
10100w10101i10110s10111z
11000a110013110104110115
11100h111017111106111119

Example: The final coded message is me

How to decrypt z-base-32 cipher?

Decryption by z-base-32 begins with a conversion of characters into binary via the lookup table

y00000b00001n00010d00011
r00100f00101g00110800111
e01000j01001k01010m01011
c01100p01101q01110x01111
o10000t10001110010u10011
w10100i10101s10110z10111
a11000311001411010511011
h11100711101611110911111

Example: The message gc3y corresponds to 00110,01100,11001,00000

The resulting binary code is then interpreted (depending on the encoding used)

Example: 00110011001100100000 corresponds to the ASCII code of the string 32

How to recognize a z-base-32 ciphertext?

The message is composed only of alphanumeric characters except 0, l, v and 2.

Why excluding '0', 'l', 'v' and '2' characters?

The number 0 can be confused with o, the letter l is close to the number 1 or even the letter i. Likewise for v which is close to u or r (especially in handwriting), same for 2 which has been excluded because of its written resemblance to z.

Source code

dCode retains ownership of the "Z-Base-32" source code. Any algorithm for the "Z-Base-32" algorithm, applet or snippet or script (converter, solver, encryption / decryption, encoding / decoding, ciphering / deciphering, breaker, translator), or any "Z-Base-32" functions (calculate, convert, solve, decrypt / encrypt, decipher / cipher, decode / encode, translate) written in any informatic language (Python, Java, PHP, C#, Javascript, Matlab, etc.) or any database download or API access for "Z-Base-32" or any other element are not public (except explicit open source licence like Creative Commons). Same with the download for offline use on PC, mobile, tablet, iPhone or Android app.
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In a scientific article or book, the recommended bibliographic citation is: Z-Base-32 on dCode.fr [online website], retrieved on 2025-04-16, https://www.dcode.fr/z-base-32-encoding

Need Help ?

Please, check our dCode Discord community for help requests!
NB: for encrypted messages, test our automatic cipher identifier!

Questions / Comments

Feedback and suggestions are welcome so that dCode offers the best 'Z-Base-32' tool for free! Thank you!


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