> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.ctfrecipes.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://www.ctfrecipes.com/cryptography/general-knowledge/encoding.md).

# Encoding

Encoding is the process of converting information from one format into another.

In computing, encoding is used to represent data in a specific format that can be understood and processed by computers or human. There are many types of encoding, including:

* **Character encoding**: The representation of characters (letters, numbers, symbols, etc.) as unique sequences of binary data. Examples include ASCII, Unicode, UTF-8, etc.
* **Data encoding**: The process of converting structured data into a format that can be transmitted or stored efficiently. Examples include XML, JSON, base64, etc.
* **Audio/Video encoding**: The process of compressing audio or video data into a smaller and more manageable format for storage or transmission.
* etc.

Encoding is a fundamental concept in data storage, transmission, and processing, as it allows information to be represented in a **standard and consistent format** that can be understood by different systems.