---
title: New cryptographic functions — encode_base64() and sha256()
description: Rulesets now support encode_base64() and sha256() functions for generating signed request headers directly in expressions.
image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/changelog-preview.png
---

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## New cryptographic functions — encode\_base64() and sha256()

Jan 22, 2026 

[ Rules ](https://developers.cloudflare.com/rules/) 

Cloudflare Rulesets now includes `encode_base64()` and `sha256()` functions, enabling you to generate signed request headers directly in rule expressions. These functions support common patterns like constructing a canonical string from request attributes, computing a SHA256 digest, and Base64-encoding the result.

---

#### New functions

| Function                     | Description                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             | Availability                          |
| ---------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| encode\_base64(input, flags) | Encodes a string to Base64 format. Optional flags parameter: u for URL-safe encoding, p for padding (adds \= characters to make the output length a multiple of 4, as required by some systems). By default, output is standard Base64 without padding. | All plans (in header transform rules) |
| sha256(input)                | Computes a SHA256 hash of the input string.                                                                                                                                                                                                             | Requires enablement                   |

Note

The `sha256()` function is available as an Enterprise add-on and requires a specific entitlement. Contact your account team to enable it.

---

#### Examples

**Encode a string to Base64 format:**

```txt
encode_base64("hello world")
```

Returns: `aGVsbG8gd29ybGQ`

**Encode a string to Base64 format with padding:**

```txt
encode_base64("hello world", "p")
```

Returns: `aGVsbG8gd29ybGQ=`

**Perform a URL-safe Base64 encoding of a string:**

```txt
encode_base64("hello world", "u")
```

Returns: `aGVsbG8gd29ybGQ`

**Compute the SHA256 hash of a secret token:**

```txt
sha256("my-token")
```

Returns a hash that your origin can validate to authenticate requests.

**Compute the SHA256 hash of a string and encode the result to Base64 format:**

```txt
encode_base64(sha256("my-token"))
```

Combines hashing and encoding for systems that expect Base64-encoded signatures.

For more information, refer to the [Functions reference](https://developers.cloudflare.com/ruleset-engine/rules-language/functions/).

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