---
title: Decoder Processor
description: >-
  Translate binary-to-text encoded string fields into their original
  representation
breadcrumbs: Docs > Log Management > Log Configuration > Processors > Decoder Processor
---

# Decoder Processor

## Overview{% #overview %}

{% callout %}
# Important note for users on the following Datadog sites: app.ddog-gov.com



{% alert level="warning" %}
The Decoder processor is not available for your selected [Datadog site](https://docs.datadoghq.com/getting_started/site.md) (). Contact [Datadog Support](https://docs.datadoghq.com/help/) if you need this capability.
{% /alert %}


{% /callout %}

The Decoder processor translates binary-to-text encoded string fields (such as Base64 or Hex/Base16) into their original representation. This allows the data to be interpreted in its native context, whether as a UTF-8 string, ASCII command, or a numeric value (for example, an integer derived from a hex string). The Decoder processor is especially useful for analyzing encoded commands, logs from specific systems, or evasion techniques used by threat actors.

**Note**:

- Truncated strings: The processor handles partially truncated Base64/Base16 strings gracefully by trimming or padding as needed.
- Hex format: Hex input can be decoded into either a string (UTF-8) or an integer.
- Failure handling: If decoding fails (because of invalid input), the processor skips the transformation, and the log remains unchanged

## Setup{% #setup %}

1. Set the source attribute: Provide the attribute path that contains the encoded string, such as `encoded.base64`.
1. Select the source encoding: Choose the binary-to-text encoding of the source: `base64` or `base16/hex`.
1. For `Base16/Hex`: Choose the output format: string (UTF-8) or integer.
1. Set the target attribute: Enter the attribute path to store the decoded result.

{% image
   source="https://docs.dd-static.net/images/logs/log_configuration/processor/decoder-processor.ea3c692612ee012b78b495739a3dc162.png?auto=format&fit=max&w=850 1x, https://docs.dd-static.net/images/logs/log_configuration/processor/decoder-processor.ea3c692612ee012b78b495739a3dc162.png?auto=format&fit=max&w=850&dpr=2 2x"
   alt="Screenshot of the Decoder Processor configuration panel" /%}

## Further reading{% #further-reading %}

- [Discover Datadog Pipelines](https://docs.datadoghq.com/logs/log_configuration/pipelines.md)