[Retr0id]

base64 is not just a text format, but one that's safely transmissible through e.g. 7-bit only mediums, or being embedded into a URL (assuming url-safe b64!), being stored in a cookie and passed through janky middlewares, etc. etc.

Further, base64 doesn't actually encode strings, it encodes bytes. If you're doing cryptography on something, you want to have a canonical byte representation. Canonicalizing JSON itself is error-prone, whereas decoding b64 gives you the same bytes every time.

[Zamicol]

Sanitized, well formed JSON is generally not horribly URL encoded. It's typically less overhead than base64.

Also, for well formed JSON (not arbitrary JSON), it also works fine in HTTP headers. I think those two situations cover about 90% of use cases.

For example, here is a JSON payload URL encoded. It's not too bad, and much better than base64:

https://cyphr.me/coze#?input={%22pay%22:{%22msg%22:%22Hello%...

The initial payload is 238 bytes, URL encoded that payload is 288 bytes, as base 64 it is 318 bytes. (Here's another tool just for that: https://convert.zamicol.com/#?inAlph=text&in=%257B%2522pay%2...)

[Retr0id]

I'd rather try to build systems that always work, rather than only working for well-formed inputs transmitted over well-behaved mediums.

[Retr0id]

https://cyphr.me/coze#?input={%22pay%22:{%22msg%22:%22Hello,...