Linux Base64 encoded value produces spaces

Question

I have the following bash script

TOKEN=$(aws ecr get-login-password --region us-east-2)
echo $TOKEN

USERNAME="AWS"

ENCODE_ME="${USERNAME}:${TOKEN}"

echo $ENCODE_ME

BASE_64_ENCODED=$(echo -n "${USERNAME}:${TOKEN}" | base64)
# BASE_64_ENCODED=$(printf "%s" "${CONVERT_ME}" | base64)

echo $BASE_64_ENCODED

the value of $ENCODE_ME gives something like below:

AWS: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

and the BASE_64_ENCODED gives this value with spaces:

QVdTOmV5SndZWGxzYjJGa0lqb2lZbmhrUVUwelNVWnRhR1p2ZEhONWNsSlJXVE54YURCdFVrRk9Z VWRhVDBSd2JFVmlprTm5CTmVUTnRObGxCY0RWNlVtcHRVRFJIYW1Ka1JsTkVRMXB5YWxoSFptTlVaV1ZUTW5B clN6SXlUR2hOV1VVaUxDSmtZWFJoYTJWNUlqb2lRVkZGUWtGSWFrSTNMMmxuZDAxbk5FNVFkMkYx Y25oVFNWbDRORWhtYm5oMVIyTXZORGhpUkhkMmQwUndUb0eVlXaFBTVEpvU1RkTUwyTTNaMjExTDFsT04yUmtWMEkw WVdadmFVMHlVSFJKVEdSNlFteENkM2t2Ykc5QmNVUk5XRXBaU2xkSGQydHZMMU5OZWt4SVNHVlVj R2gxYjNalprTm5CTmVUTnRObGxCY0RWNlVtcHRVRFJIYW1Ka1JsTkVRMXB5YWxoSFptTlVaV1ZUTW5B clN6SXlUR2hOV1VVaUxDSmtZWFJoYTJWNUlqb2lRVkZGUWtGSWFrSTNMMmxuZDAxbk5FNVFkMkYx Y25oVFNWbDRORWhtYm5oMVIyTXZORGhpUkhkMmQwUndUbxWnFSVW8zVERGcWRFTkxlVWR1T0ZaR01FaGhS MnNyVGtock5YcFhjalpFUzB4SWNHWXhObmxaY1c5TVNIWnZiV05rTTNsUlkxSjZhMngxYlhGVWFW RktSeXRoU3l0QlJXSnJaVEpMVjFKSkswZFJSVWxMWmxGUmR6ZDFUR3MzTWxCdVpXMXZjMkUwTDFs TmEzTldkMVJhVVhoc1NrSnJSMVY1VkhaaFlsaHdZbFZYZEVsSVVGRlFiMGhMY2sxWGRXUmthM0kx ZVZsdUwyTm9TbEJpU1RSNE5uUm5lWGx1Yml0a2EyMUljbWRHWVZnd2FXUjZXRFZIVUhWbmNrcExO RmczVXk5aWVWWkNjbFZZWlcxTWF6UnVjRkZyWmtRMk9XY3hNR05FTW14NVVqTTJNVGRFVTA4NVlX NTJhalpRTUdwT1FqaENUazVUTjNwTmRIcG9hSGhWWlRkeVFVZEhObVJqVTNZeWIwMVhjbXQ1V25o TlltdDFRazFKUm1aRVJHaDRRWG95VEdOd0wxa3JaWFJCWmpWMlJYZEdPSFF3YUZWd1UxZzRUV3Rx VTFGb1MycFVTazllprTm5CTmVUTnRObGxCY0RWNlVtcHRVRFJIYW1Ka1JsTkVRMXB5YWxoSFptTlVaV1ZUTW5B clN6SXlUR2hOV1VVaUxDSmtZWFJoYTJWNUlqb2lRVkZGUWtGSWFrSTNMMmxuZDAxbk5FNVFkMkYx Y25oVFNWbDRORWhtYm5oMVIyTXZORGhpUkhkMmQwUndUbuUnlUMWh3UjIxU1VFaExa RGd4TTBGaU5qbFNTVGRhVkd4cWF5OUhaa2s1TW5VM2FXWk5TbXR0TVdObWF6bDRNVEl6T1hSM1Ru aEVlbTQxVVV0T04zWm5jVWhoWjFoeGVXdFhXRU0yYVU0M1RtMWhMMXBWTlRGUlVWQk1OR2hMU0M4 dmVVMU1UM0ZVV1VsbEwyaERjVkI1Y0ZSNlRFRTBWVXREWm1SV1VVdHNUM1pRVUVKTGRWTjNhbk5W Wld4YWVHYzFOVmhuZEhOaE5sbEZVV1ZzTld4UmFYWXhNMXB6VkhGMVYwSkdNazFLUzFVemJqZ3dZ eTk2UVU1VldESk5ia0ZpVlZGWlVXVndWVFZTTkdOSGVqSjRUVVJNZEU0clNXcG5PVXN4VmxsblZt bDVUblprTm5CTmVUTnRObGxCY0RWNlVtcHRVRFJIYW1Ka1JsTkVRMXB5YWxoSFptTlVaV1ZUTW5B clN6SXlUR2hOV1VVaUxDSmtZWFJoYTJWNUlqb2lRVkZGUWtGSWFrSTNMMmxuZDAxbk5FNVFkMkYx Y25oVFNWbDRORWhtYm5oMVIyTXZORGhpUkhkMmQwUndUbGxYV21kQlFVRklOSGRtUVZsS1MyOWFT V2gyWTA1QlVXTkhiMGM0ZDJKUlNVSkJSRUp2UW1kcmNXaHJhVWM1ZHpCQ1FuZEZkMGhuV1VwWlNW cEpRVmRWUkVKQlJYVk5Ra1ZGUkUxQmFIaFlhMEUwZVdkR1dIbDJWM2xSU1VKRlNVRTNNWEZHUWts Sk0zUnNNR1E1Ymtjd2JqZDNRWGhISzBndmN6aFNWbUpDYTJkcVptOUNTVFJFZWtwemFtTjZlbGxq TnpkTVNtMXBObVZUWkZJM2FVOTFWa054TlZrelFVTTVTbGs1VWpoclNUMGlMQ0oyWlhKemFXOXVJ am9pTWlJc0luUjVjR1VpT2lKRVFWUkJYMHRGV1NJc0ltVjRjR2x5WVhScGIyNGlPakUyTVRFME5q QXpNREo5

Why does it produces spaces in-between?

Thank You!

Answer 1

base64(1) by default wraps lines at column 76. What you're seeing is the whitespace of those newlines.

If you add -w0 (disable wrapping altogether) to the base64 options, it will spit out its result without any wrapping.

Do man base64 for further information.