hey-base32

hey-base32

A fast, zero-dependency base32 encoder/decoder for the command line (RFC 4648).

No library API, no dependencies — just a clean CLI that pipes, reads files, and round-trips binary data.

Install

npm install -g hey-base32

Or run it once without installing:

npx hey-base32 encode "hello world"

Usage

hey-base32 <command> [input] [options]

Commands

Command	Alias	Description
encode	e	encode input to base32
decode	d	decode base32 input back to bytes

Input

• Pass text directly: hey-base32 encode "hello"
• Read a file: -f, --file PATH (use - for stdin)
• With no argument and no --file, stdin is read.

Options

Option	Description
-o, --output PATH	write result to a file instead of stdout
--hex	use the RFC 4648 extended-hex alphabet
--no-pad	omit = padding when encoding
--lower	lowercase the encoded output
-w, --wrap N	wrap encoded output every N characters (0 = no wrap)
-n, --no-newline	do not print a trailing newline
-h, --help	show help
-v, --version	show version

Examples

# encode a string
hey-base32 encode "hello world"
# NBSWY3DPEB3W64TMMQ======

# pipe from stdin
echo -n "hello" | hey-base32 e
# NBSWY3DP

# decode
hey-base32 decode NBSWY3DP
# hello

# encode a binary file, wrapped at 76 columns, into a text file
hey-base32 e -f photo.png -o photo.b32 --wrap 76

# decode it back — byte-for-byte identical
hey-base32 d -f photo.b32 -o photo-restored.png

# extended-hex alphabet, no padding
hey-base32 encode "hello" --hex --no-pad

Decoding tolerates whitespace, lowercase input, and missing padding.

License

MIT © Yaz Caleb