# Binary functions

Binary function reference documentation.

This page describes the available functions to assist with working with binary
data.

## base64

`base64(data, maxLength)` encodes raw binary data using the base64 encoding into
a string with a maximum length defined by `maxLength`.

**Arguments:**

- `data` is the binary data to be encoded.
- `maxLength` is the intended maximum length of the encoded string.

**Return value:**

Return value type is `string`.

**Example:**

```questdb-sql
SELECT base64(rnd_bin(), 20);
-- `rnd_bin` can be used to generate random binary data.
```

| base64                       |
| ---------------------------- |
| q7QDHliR4V1OsAEUVCFwDDTerbI= |

## See also

[`rnd_bin`](/docs/query/functions/random-value-generator/#rnd_bin) can be
used to generate random binary data.