Text Encryption & Decryption Tool

This tool supports several classic cipher methods: Caesar Cipher (with customizable shift), Atbash Cipher, Vigenère Cipher, ROT13, XOR Cipher, and Base64 encoding/decoding. Each method has different characteristics and historical significance in cryptography.

No, these are educational and historical cipher methods that should NOT be used for protecting sensitive information. They are easily breakable with modern computing power. For real security needs, use modern encryption standards like AES, RSA, or other contemporary cryptographic methods.

The Caesar Cipher shifts each letter in the alphabet by a fixed number of positions. For example, with a shift of 3, "A" becomes "D", "B" becomes "E", and so on. It wraps around the alphabet, so "X" with a shift of 3 becomes "A". This cipher is named after Julius Caesar, who reportedly used it.

ROT13 is actually a special case of the Caesar Cipher with a fixed shift of 13 positions. The advantage of ROT13 is that it's its own inverse - applying ROT13 twice returns the original text. This makes it popular for simple text obfuscation, like hiding spoilers in online discussions.

The Vigenère Cipher uses a keyword to encrypt text. Each letter of the keyword determines the shift amount for the corresponding letter in the message. The keyword repeats as needed. This makes it more secure than a simple Caesar cipher because different letters are shifted by different amounts.

The Atbash Cipher is a substitution cipher where each letter is replaced by its mirror image in the alphabet. A becomes Z, B becomes Y, C becomes X, and so on. It's one of the oldest known ciphers, originally used for the Hebrew alphabet, and like ROT13, it's its own inverse.

XOR (exclusive or) encryption combines each character of the input text with a corresponding character from a key using the XOR operation. The same key and process can be used to decrypt the text. While XOR can be very secure with a proper one-time pad, simple repeating keys make it vulnerable.

No, Base64 is encoding, not encryption. It converts binary data into ASCII text using a set of 64 characters. It's easily reversible and provides no security - it's mainly used for data transmission and storage compatibility. It's included here for educational purposes and convenience.

Yes, the Vigenère and XOR ciphers allow you to specify custom keys. The Caesar cipher lets you choose the shift amount (1-25). The Atbash, ROT13, and Base64 methods don't use keys as they have fixed algorithms. Always choose strong, unpredictable keys for better security, even with these simple methods.

Some ciphers like Atbash and ROT13 are symmetric - applying the same operation twice returns the original text. These are called "involutory" ciphers. For these methods, the encrypt/decrypt selection is disabled because the operation is the same in both directions.

The behavior depends on the cipher: Caesar, Atbash, Vigenère, and ROT13 only affect letters (A-Z, a-z) and leave numbers, spaces, and special characters unchanged. XOR affects all characters. Base64 encodes all input characters. This preserves readability while demonstrating each cipher's characteristics.

The tool automatically encrypts or decrypts your text as soon as you type or change any settings like cipher type, operation mode, or cipher parameters. There's no need to click a button - the results appear instantly in the output area, making it easy to experiment with different cipher methods and settings.

Yes, this tool can handle reasonably large texts since all processing happens in your browser with real-time updates. However, very large texts (several megabytes) might slow down the interface. The tool is optimized for typical use cases like messages, puzzles, and educational examples rather than entire documents.