What is Hex Encoding?

Hex encoding (also known as Base16 encoding) is a method of representing binary data in a readable hexadecimal (base 16) format. It converts each byte into a two-character string using digits (0-9) and letters (A-F).

How Hex Encoding Works

Each byte (8 bits) of data is represented by two hexadecimal characters. For example, the ASCII character "A" (which has a decimal value of 65) is represented as 41 in hex.

Use Cases of Hex Encoding

  • Representing binary data in a human-readable format.
  • Encoding data for debugging or storage.
  • Working with cryptographic hashes and encodings.

Limitations of Hex Encoding

While hex encoding is useful, it increases the size of the original data (each byte becomes two characters). If efficiency is a concern, other encodings like Base64 may be preferable.