html - Advantages and disadvantages of using base64 encoded images

Question

I am thinking of using base64 encoded images for a site I am working on to optimize the load time.

Anyways, before I start, I was wondering: what are the advantages and disadvantages of doing this?

At the moment, I don't see any disadvantage but also I noticed that it is not a technique used very often and that makes me wonder if I didn't miss something.

After googleing the subject I didn't find anything clear so I decided to ask here.

Answer 1

It's only useful for very tiny images. Base64 encoded files are larger than the original. The advantage lies in not having to open another connection and make a HTTP request to the server for the image. This benefit is lost very quickly so there's only an advantage for large numbers of very tiny individual images.