URL Encoder Decoder

About URL Encoding

URL encoding, also known as percent encoding, is a mechanism for encoding information in a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). Certain characters in URLs have special meanings and must be encoded to be used literally. URL encoding converts characters into a format that can be safely transmitted over the internet.

Common Use Cases

• Query Parameters: Encode special characters in URL query strings
• Form Data: Encode form data before submitting via GET requests
• API Development: Properly encode parameters in API endpoints
• Special Characters: Handle spaces, ampersands, and other special characters in URLs
• International Characters: Encode non-ASCII characters for URL compatibility

How URL Encoding Works

URL encoding replaces unsafe ASCII characters with a "%" followed by two hexadecimal digits. For example, a space character is encoded as "%20", and an ampersand is encoded as "%26". This ensures that URLs remain valid and can be properly parsed by browsers and servers.

Best Practices

• Always encode user input before including it in URLs
• Use encodeURIComponent() for query parameters and values
• Use encodeURI() for entire URLs (preserves some characters like :, /, ?, #)
• Decode URLs when processing user input to prevent double encoding
• Be aware of encoding differences between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent