diff --git a/src/Base64.cc b/src/Base64.cc
index 030f013d6f..1826ede93a 100644
--- a/src/Base64.cc
+++ b/src/Base64.cc
@@ -3,22 +3,9 @@
 #include <math.h>
 
 int Base64Decoder::default_base64_table[256];
-const string Base64::default_alphabet = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/";
+const string Base64Decoder::default_alphabet = "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789+/";
 
-Base64Encoder::Base64Encoder(const string& arg_alphabet) 
-	{
-	if ( arg_alphabet.size() > 0 )
-		{
-		assert(arg_alphabet.size() == 64);
-		alphabet = arg_alphabet;
-		} 
-	else 
-		{
-		alphabet = default_alphabet;
-		}
-	}
-
-void Base64Encoder::Encode(int len, const unsigned char* data, int* pblen, char** pbuf) 
+void Base64Decoder::Encode(int len, const unsigned char* data, int* pblen, char** pbuf) 
 	{
 	int blen;
 	char *buf;
@@ -97,9 +84,19 @@ int* Base64Decoder::InitBase64Table(const string& alphabet)
 
 
 
-Base64Decoder::Base64Decoder(Analyzer* arg_analyzer, const string& alphabet)
+Base64Decoder::Base64Decoder(Analyzer* arg_analyzer, const string& arg_alphabet)
 	{
-	base64_table = InitBase64Table(alphabet.size() ? alphabet : default_alphabet);
+	if ( arg_alphabet.size() > 0 )
+		{
+		assert(arg_alphabet.size() == 64);
+		alphabet = arg_alphabet;
+		} 
+	else 
+		{
+		alphabet = default_alphabet;
+		}
+
+	base64_table = 0;
 	base64_group_next = 0;
 	base64_padding = base64_after_padding = 0;
 	errored = 0;
@@ -117,6 +114,10 @@ int Base64Decoder::Decode(int len, const char* data, int* pblen, char** pbuf)
 	int blen;
 	char* buf;
 
+	// initialization of table on first_time call of Decode
+	if ( base64_table == 0 ) 
+		base64_table = InitBase64Table(alphabet);
+
 	if ( ! pbuf )
 		reporter->InternalError("nil pointer to decoding result buffer");
 
@@ -260,7 +261,7 @@ BroString* encode_base64(const BroString* s, const BroString* a)
 
 	char* outbuf = 0;
 	int outlen = 0;
-	Base64Encoder enc;
+	Base64Decoder enc(0);
 	enc.Encode(s->Len(), (const unsigned char*) s->Bytes(), &outlen, &outbuf);
 
 	return new BroString(1, (u_char*)outbuf, outlen);
diff --git a/src/Base64.h b/src/Base64.h
index 5b94ec7c2c..00bd208f08 100644
--- a/src/Base64.h
+++ b/src/Base64.h
@@ -10,27 +10,10 @@
 #include "Analyzer.h"
 
 // Maybe we should have a base class for generic decoders?
-
-class Base64 {
-public: 
-protected:
-	static const string default_alphabet;
-};
-
-
-class Base64Encoder : public Base64 {
-public:
-	Base64Encoder(const string& arg_alphabet = "");
-	void Encode(int len, const unsigned char* data, int* blen, char** buf);
-protected:
-	string alphabet;
-	
-}; 
-
-class Base64Decoder : public Base64 {
+class Base64Decoder {
 public:
 	// <analyzer> is used for error reporting, and it should be zero when
-	// the decoder is called by the built-in function decode_base64().
+	// the decoder is called by the built-in function decode_base64() or encode_base64().
 	// Empty alphabet indicates the default base64 alphabet.
 	Base64Decoder(Analyzer* analyzer, const string& alphabet = "");
 	~Base64Decoder();
@@ -46,6 +29,7 @@ public:
 	// is not enough output buffer space.
 
 	int Decode(int len, const char* data, int* blen, char** buf);
+	void Encode(int len, const unsigned char* data, int* blen, char** buf);	
 
 	int Done(int* pblen, char** pbuf);
 	int HasData() const { return base64_group_next != 0; }
@@ -67,6 +51,9 @@ protected:
 	char error_msg[256];
 
 protected:
+	static const string default_alphabet;
+	string alphabet;	
+
 	static int* InitBase64Table(const string& alphabet);
 	static int default_base64_table[256];
 	char base64_group[4];