Base64 encoding of large files.
Base64 encoding converts triples of eight-bit symbols into quadruples of six-bit symbols. Reading the input file in chunks that are a multiple of three bytes in length results in a chunk that can be encoded independently of the rest of the input file. MIME additionally enforces a line length of 76 characters plus the CRLF. 76 characters is enough for 19 quadruples of six-bit symbols thus representing 19 triples of eight-bit symbols. Reading 57 eight-bit symbols provides exactly enough data for a complete MIME-formatted line. Finally, PHP's default buffer size is 8192 bytes - enough for 143 MIME lines' worth of input.
So if you read from the input file in chunks of 8151 (=57*143) bytes you will get (up to) 8151 eight-bit symbols, which encode as exactly 10868 six-bit symbols, which then wrap to exactly 143 MIME-formatted lines. There is no need to retain left-over symbols (either six- or eight-bit) from one chunk to the next. Just read a chunk, encode it, write it out, and go on to the next chunk. Obviously the last chunk will probably be shorter, but encoding it is still independent of the rest.
<?php
while(!feof($input_file))
{
$plain = fread($input_file, 57 * 143);
$encoded = base64_encode($plain);
$encoded = chunk_split($encoded, 76, "\r\n");
fwrite($output_file, $encoded);
}
?>
Conversely, each 76-character MIME-formatted line (not counting the trailing CRLF) contains exactly enough data for 57 bytes of output without needing to retain leftover bits that need prepending to the next line. What that means is that each line can be decoded independently of the others, and the decoded chunks can then be concatenated together or written out sequentially. However, this does make the assumption that the encoded data really is MIME-formatted; without that assurance it is necessary to accept that the base64 data won't be so conveniently arranged.