> human | friendly | checksums <
// Crockford's Base32 - Human-friendly encoding with error detection
Human Optimized
Excludes confusing characters (I, L, O, U) and normalizes common mistakes.
Error Detection
Optional modulo-37 checksum character for detecting errors.
Forgiving Input
Accepts common substitutions: O→0, I/L→1, U→V for easy typing.
>> technical info
How Crockford Base32 Works:
Crockford's Base32 uses 32 digits and letters (excluding I, L, O, U) to prevent confusion. It includes optional checksums and accepts common character substitutions when decoding.
Example:
"Hello" → 91JPRV3F41BPYWKCCG
Why Use Crockford Base32:
- >No visually confusing characters
- >Optional error detection
- >Case-insensitive
- >Accepts common typos
- >Human-readable and dictation-safe
>> frequently asked questions
What is Crockford's Base32?
Crockford's Base32 is an improved Base32 encoding created by Douglas Crockford that excludes confusing characters and includes optional checksums for error detection.
How does it differ from regular Base32?
Crockford's version excludes I, L, O, and U to prevent confusion with 1, 1, 0, and V. It also normalizes common input mistakes and offers optional checksums.
What's the checksum feature?
The optional checksum is a modulo-37 check character appended to the encoded string that can detect single-character errors and some transposition errors.
When should I use Crockford's Base32?
Use it for human-readable codes, product keys, short URLs, or any identifier that might be manually typed or communicated verbally.