Base64 is a popular data encoding used to represent binary data as a sequence of ASCII characters. What is less popular is the Base32 encoding because it is generates a less compact encoding.
However, Base32 encoding has the benefit to provide an encoding that is easy to handle "manually" by humans. I suggest to use Base32 encoding to provide a compact identifier encoding that users have to remember and may have to spell out to other people.
It is for this reason that I would prefer to use such Base32 encoding for the user identifiers key of a web service.
With 4 Base32 ASCII code value one can encode one number in a million. With 5 Base32 ASCII code, we can encode one value in 32 million and with 6 Base32 ASCII code we can encode one value in a billion. I can't wait for my users to have 5 or even 6 ASCII codes in their identifiers.
My proposed encoding is the same as the Crockford's Base32 alphabet with the difference that the letter U is preserved and the letter W is removed. I guess the letter U has been removed to avoid confusions with two 1 in sequence. But I find that removing the W is preferable because it is less convenient to memorize and spell out.
Note: with a Base64 encoding, only 5 Base64 ASCII codes a needed for one number in a billion, but the complexity to remember, spell out and distinguish upper and lower case letters makes it inefficient.
However, Base32 encoding has the benefit to provide an encoding that is easy to handle "manually" by humans. I suggest to use Base32 encoding to provide a compact identifier encoding that users have to remember and may have to spell out to other people.
It is for this reason that I would prefer to use such Base32 encoding for the user identifiers key of a web service.
With 4 Base32 ASCII code value one can encode one number in a million. With 5 Base32 ASCII code, we can encode one value in 32 million and with 6 Base32 ASCII code we can encode one value in a billion. I can't wait for my users to have 5 or even 6 ASCII codes in their identifiers.
My proposed encoding is the same as the Crockford's Base32 alphabet with the difference that the letter U is preserved and the letter W is removed. I guess the letter U has been removed to avoid confusions with two 1 in sequence. But I find that removing the W is preferable because it is less convenient to memorize and spell out.
Note: with a Base64 encoding, only 5 Base64 ASCII codes a needed for one number in a billion, but the complexity to remember, spell out and distinguish upper and lower case letters makes it inefficient.
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