ROT47 Encoder Decoder – Advanced Online Tool

Free, instant ROT47 text transformation with real-time statistics, character mapping, and advanced features. 100% working tool for developers and cybersecurity professionals.

ROT47 Encoder/Decoder Tool

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ROT47 Result:

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ROT47 Character Mapping

What is ROT47?

ROT47 is a character substitution cipher that replaces each character within the ASCII range 33-126 (excluding space) by the character 47 positions ahead in the ASCII table. If the rotation goes beyond 126, it wraps around to 33.

Unlike ROT13 which only handles letters, ROT47 works with a broader set of characters including numbers and symbols. This makes it particularly useful for:

Obscuring code snippets in online forums and documentation
Hiding email addresses from web scrapers and spam bots
Encoding configuration files with sensitive information
Teaching cryptography concepts in educational settings
Lightweight data obfuscation for non-critical applications

// Example: ROT47 Algorithm in JavaScript
function rot47(text) {
    return text.replace(/[!-~]/g, function(ch) {
        return String.fromCharCode((ch.charCodeAt(0) – 33 + 47) % 94 + 33);
    });
}
        

How ROT47 Encryption Works

Mathematical Foundation

The ROT47 algorithm operates on the mathematical principle of modular arithmetic. For each character with ASCII code c:

Valid Range: ASCII characters from 33 (!) to 126 (~)
Rotation Formula: (c – 33 + 47) mod 94 + 33
Total Characters: 94 (126 – 33 + 1)
Rotation Amount: 47 positions (exactly half of 94)

Key Properties

Property	Description	Example
Self-Inverse	ROT47(ROT47(text)) = text (applying twice returns original)	ROT47(“A”) = “p”, ROT47(“p”) = “A”
Character Coverage	Handles letters, numbers, and common symbols	Hello123! → w6==@`ab
Symmetry	Encoding and decoding use the same function	Same function for both operations
Space Preservation	Spaces remain unchanged	“Hello World” → “w6==@ (@=c”

ROT47 vs ROT13 vs Base64

Feature	ROT47	ROT13	Base64
Character Set	33-126 ASCII (94 chars)	A-Z, a-z (52 letters)	A-Z, a-z, 0-9, +, / (64 chars)
Security Level	Very Low (obfuscation)	Very Low (obfuscation)	No security (encoding)
Reversible	Yes (self-inverse)	Yes (self-inverse)	Yes (bidirectional)
Output Size	Same as input	Same as input	~133% of input
Common Uses	Code obfuscation, email hiding	Forum spoilers, simple puzzles	Data transmission, email attachments

Practical Applications of ROT47

1. Code Obfuscation in Documentation

Developers often use ROT47 to hide email addresses and sensitive strings in public code repositories. This prevents spam bots from harvesting email addresses while keeping them readable to humans with basic decoding knowledge.

example@domain.com

2. Configuration File Protection

While not secure for sensitive data, ROT47 provides lightweight obfuscation for configuration files, making them less readable to casual observers while maintaining easy reversibility.

3. Educational Tool

ROT47 serves as an excellent teaching tool for introducing concepts of symmetric encryption, character encoding, and basic cryptography principles.

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters does ROT47 work with?

ROT47 works with all printable ASCII characters from 33 (!) to 126 (~). This includes:

Uppercase letters: A-Z
Lowercase letters: a-z
Numbers: 0-9
Special characters: !@#$%^&*() etc.

Spaces (ASCII 32) and control characters remain unchanged.

Is ROT47 secure for encrypting sensitive data?

No, ROT47 is not secure encryption. It’s a simple substitution cipher that provides only basic obfuscation. Anyone with knowledge of ROT47 can easily decode it. For sensitive data, use proper encryption methods like AES-256.

Why rotate by 47 instead of another number?

ROT47 uses 47 because it’s exactly half of 94 (the number of characters in its working set). This makes it a self-inverse function: applying ROT47 twice returns the original text. This property simplifies implementation as the same function can be used for both encoding and decoding.

Can ROT47 handle Unicode or non-English characters?

Standard ROT47 only works with ASCII characters (33-126). Unicode characters outside this range remain unchanged. For international text, you might want to use other encoding methods like our UTF-8 Encoder/Decoder or Unicode Encoder/Decoder.

How does ROT47 differ from Base64 encoding?

ROT47 is a substitution cipher (character replacement) while Base64 is an encoding scheme (binary-to-text). Key differences:

Purpose: ROT47 for obfuscation, Base64 for data transmission
Output: ROT47 maintains same length, Base64 increases by ~33%
Reversibility: Both are reversible
Character Set: ROT47 uses 94 chars, Base64 uses 64 chars

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