How Bin2C Simplifies Embedding Binary Data in C Programs

Bin2C: The Ultimate Guide to Converting Binary to C Code

What Bin2C does

• Converts binary (or text) files into C source/header code that defines the file contents as C arrays or variables for direct inclusion in programs.
• Common outputs: const unsigned char arrays, .c/.h pairs, or single header files containing embedded data.

Typical use cases

• Embedding firmware, bitmaps, web pages, or configuration blobs into embedded or desktop C/C++ applications.
• Shipping small resources without relying on separate filesystem assets.
• Creating read-only in-memory resource blobs for bootloaders or single-binary deployments.

Popular Bin2C implementations (quick reference)

• megastep/bin2c (GitHub) — simple cross-platform C tool with options for line length, type (char/NSString), static keyword, and null-termination.
• gwilymk/bin2c (GitHub) — widely used archived implementation; simple single-file C utility.
• hxtools bin2c (Debian manpage) — feature-rich variant supporting multiple files, .c/.h generation, include guards, and space-efficient encodings.