Base64 Image Data URIs: Best Practices for Web Apps
Base64 data URIs embed images directly into HTML or CSS. They remove extra HTTP requests but increase file size by ~33%. That tradeoff matters for performance.
When to use Base64 images
- Small icons or placeholders
- Offline-first apps with fewer requests
- Email templates where external assets are blocked
When to avoid them
- Large hero images or photos
- Assets that benefit from caching
- Pages sensitive to bundle size
Optimization tips
Compress images first, then encode. Use Base64 for SVGs or small PNGs, and always measure payload size. Generate or decode data URIs with Base64 Suite.
Encode Images to Base64
Convert files to Base64 data URIs locally without uploads.
Open Base64 Suite →