Python Strings decode() method

decode() is a method specified in Strings in Python 2.
This method is used to convert from one encoding scheme, in which argument string is encoded to the desired encoding scheme. This works opposite to the encode. It accepts the encoding of the encoding string to decode it and returns the original string.

Syntax : decode(encoding, error)

Parameters :
encoding : Specifies the encoding on the basis of which decoding has to be performed.
error : Decides how to handle the errors if they occur, e.g ‘strict’ raises Unicode error in case of exception and ‘ignore’ ignores the errors occurred.

Returns : Returns the original string from the encoded string.

Code #1 : Code to decode the string

# Python code to demonstrate
# decode()

# initializing string
str = "geeksforgeeks"

# encoding string
str_enc = str.encode(encodeing='utf8')

# printing the encoded string
print ("The encoded string in base64 format is : ",)
print (str_enc )

# printing the original decoded string
print ("The decoded string is : ",)
print (str_enc.decode('utf8', 'strict'))

Output:

The encoded string in base64 format is :  Z2Vla3Nmb3JnZWVrcw==

The decoded string is :  geeksforgeeks

Application :
Encoding and decoding together can be used in the simple applications of storing passwords in the back end and many other applications like cryptography which deals with keeping the information confidential.
A small demonstration of the password application is depicted below.

Code #2 : Code to demonstrate application of encode-decode

# Python code to demonstrate
# application of encode-decode

# input from user
# user = input()
# pass = input()

user = "geeksforgeeks"
passw = "i_lv_coding"

# converting password to base64 encoding
passw = passw.encode('base64', 'strict')

# input from user
# user_login = input()
# pass_login = input()

user_login = "geeksforgeeks"

# wrongly entered password
pass_wrong = "geeksforgeeks"

print ("Password entered : " + pass_wrong )

if(pass_wrong == passw.decode('base64', 'strict')):
    print ("You are logged in !!")
else : print ("Wrong Password !!")

print( '\r')

# correctly entered password
pass_right = "i_lv_coding"

print ("Password entered : " + pass_right )

if(pass_right == passw.decode('base64', 'strict')):
    print ("You are logged in !!")
else :
    print ("Wrong Password !!")

Output:

Password entered : geeksforgeeks
Wrong Password!!

Password entered : i_lv_coding
You are logged in!!