What is the purpose of base64 decoding the contents of a text file in PHP?

Base64 decoding the contents of a text file in PHP is necessary when the file has been encoded in base64 format, which is a way of representing binary data in an ASCII string format. By decoding the base64 encoded contents, you can retrieve the original binary data stored in the file. This is useful when working with files that have been encoded in base64 for transmission or storage purposes.

// Read the contents of the base64 encoded file
$encoded_contents = file_get_contents('encoded_file.txt');

// Decode the base64 encoded contents
$decoded_contents = base64_decode($encoded_contents);

// Save the decoded contents to a new file
file_put_contents('decoded_file.txt', $decoded_contents);