Free Basic Auth Generator
Many APIs still authenticate with HTTP Basic — a username and password Base64-encoded into an Authorization header. The Basic Auth Generator builds the exact header for you, shows the raw value, and hands you a copy-paste curl command. Unicode usernames and passwords are encoded correctly via UTF-8.
How to Use the Basic Auth Generator
- Enter the username and password (or API token).
- Click Generate header.
- Copy the Authorization header or the ready-made curl command.
- Remember: Basic auth must always be used over HTTPS.
Features
Full Authorization header output; value-only output; curl example; UTF-8 safe encoding; copy buttons.
Benefits & Use Cases
Test APIs in the terminal, prototype integrations, debug 401 responses, or document auth for your team without hand-encoding credentials.
Tips
Basic auth is only as secure as the transport — always use HTTPS, or credentials travel essentially in plaintext. Prefer tokens or OAuth for new APIs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is HTTP Basic Authentication?
A simple scheme where the client sends "Authorization: Basic <base64(username:password)>" with each request. The server decodes and verifies the credentials.
Is Basic Auth secure?
Only over HTTPS. Base64 is reversible encoding, not encryption — without TLS, anyone on the network can read the credentials.
Why did I get a 401?
Either the credentials are wrong, the server expects a different scheme (like Bearer), or the header was not sent. Double-check the exact header value this tool generates.
Can the password contain special characters?
Yes. The tool UTF-8 encodes before Base64, so any characters work. (The first colon still separates username from password.)
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