Number Base Converter

Enter a number, tell it which base that number is in (binary, octal, decimal, or hex), and see it in every base at once — binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal, plus base 32 and base 36. It also shows how many bits and bytes the value needs and whether it fits in an 8-, 16-, or 32-bit unsigned integer, which is the practical question when you're packing values into fixed-width fields or registers.

There's a click-to-load table of common values (0, 255, 1024, 65535…) for quick reference. Everything computes in your browser.

Why different bases exist, and where each shows up:
- Binary (base 2) — how hardware actually stores everything. You reach for it directly when working with bit flags, masks, and permissions where each position is a yes/no.
- Hexadecimal (base 16) — a compact stand-in for binary: one hex digit = exactly 4 bits, so a byte is always two hex digits. That's why memory addresses, colors (#RRGGBB), and byte dumps use hex — it's binary that humans can read.
- Octal (base 8) — three bits per digit; today mostly seen in Unix file permissions (chmod 755).
- Decimal (base 10) — for humans.
- Base 32 / 36 — pack numbers into short alphanumeric strings (IDs, short URLs) using letters as extra digits.

The bit-width readout tells you the minimum bits to represent the value and whether it fits common unsigned integer sizes. Useful when a protocol or struct gives you a fixed field (a uint16 port, a uint8 byte) and you need to know your value won't overflow it.

Scope: this converts non-negative whole numbers. Fractions, negative numbers (two's-complement representation), and values beyond JavaScript's safe integer limit (2^53) aren't handled — for those you need signed/float-specific tooling.

Hex vs binary. Same information, but hex is four times shorter and far easier to read and type. Engineers think in hex precisely because each digit maps cleanly to 4 bits — you can eyeball 0xFF as "all ones in a byte" instantly, where 11111111 takes counting.

Hex vs decimal. Decimal is for people and business logic; hex is for anything touching memory, bytes, colors, or protocols. When a value's *bit pattern* matters, hex; when its *magnitude* matters to a human, decimal.

Octal today. Mostly one job left: Unix permissions, where each octal digit encodes read/write/execute for a user class (chmod 644). Outside that, it's largely historical.

Base 32 / 36 vs hex. When you want the shortest readable string for a number (an ID or short code), base 36 (0-9, a-z) beats hex because it uses more symbols per digit. Hex wins when byte-alignment matters; base 36 wins when compactness for humans matters.