URL Encoder/Decoder

What is URL Encoding?

URL Encoding (also called Percent Encoding) is a mechanism for encoding special characters in URLs so they can be safely transmitted over the internet. URLs can only contain a limited set of characters (letters, digits, and a few special characters), so any other characters must be encoded.

URL encoding is essential for:

  • Special Characters: Encoding spaces, symbols, and non-ASCII characters in URLs
  • Query Parameters: Safely passing data in URL query strings
  • API Requests: Encoding parameters in REST API calls
  • Form Data: Encoding form submissions sent via GET requests

In URL encoding, special characters are replaced with a percent sign (%) followed by two hexadecimal digits. For example, a space becomes %20, and the @ symbol becomes %40. This ensures URLs are valid and can be properly parsed by browsers and servers. URL decoding reverses this process, converting encoded characters back to their original form.

Frequently Asked Questions

encodeURIComponent encodes more characters (including :, /, ?, etc.) and is used for encoding URL components. encodeURI is used for encoding entire URLs and preserves certain characters like :, /, ?, and #.
Use URL encoding whenever you're including user input, special characters, or non-ASCII characters in URLs, query parameters, or API requests.
No, they're different. URL encoding uses percent signs (%), while HTML encoding uses ampersands and semicolons (&, <, etc.).