Why is authentication using Basic credentials typically used over HTTPS?

When authentication using Basic credentials is performed over HTTPS, the primary reason this method is preferred is due to the secure encryption provided by HTTPS. While the credentials themselves (username and password) are indeed base-64 encoded, this encoding does not provide any encryption or secure protection; it is simply a method of representing binary data in an ASCII string format. Base-64 encoding can easily be decoded back to its original form, meaning that if Basic authentication were used without HTTPS, it would expose sensitive data during transmission.

The real advantage of using Basic credentials in conjunction with HTTPS is that HTTPS encrypts the entire communication channel. This means that even though the credentials are encoded, the transmission is protected against eavesdroppers, ensuring that sensitive information cannot be intercepted in a readable format.

In summary, while the base-64 encoding aspect is true, the crucial security aspect comes from the underlying HTTPS protocol, which uses SSL/TLS to provide encryption, maintaining confidentiality and integrity of the credentials during transmission.