URL Encoder/Decoder
Easily encode or decode URLs and URL components
Encoding Options
Standard: Encodes most special characters but preserves URL structural characters like /, :, &, =
Component: Encodes all special characters - use for parts of URLs like query parameters
Full: Like Component but replaces spaces with + signs (common in form submissions)
About URL Encoding
URL encoding converts characters into a format that can be transmitted over the Internet. URLs can only be sent over the Internet using the ASCII character-set, so URL encoding replaces unsafe characters with a "%" followed by hexadecimal digits.
URL Encoding Types
- Standard Encoding (encodeURI): Used for encoding full URLs. Doesn't encode characters that are part of the URL syntax like /, :, &, and =.
- Component Encoding (encodeURIComponent): Used for encoding URL components like query parameters. Encodes all special characters including /, :, &, and =.
- Form Encoding: Similar to component encoding but replaces spaces with + instead of %20. Commonly used in HTML form submissions.
Common Encoded Characters
| Character | Standard (encodeURI) | Component (encodeURIComponent) |
|---|---|---|
| Space | %20 | %20 (or + in Full mode) |
| / | / (not encoded) | %2F |
| ? | ? (not encoded) | %3F |
| & | & (not encoded) | %26 |
| = | = (not encoded) | %3D |
| : | : (not encoded) | %3A |
| # | # (not encoded) | %23 |
| + | + (not encoded) | %2B |
| @ | @ (not encoded) | %40 |
| % | %25 | %25 |
| " | %22 | %22 |
| < | %3C | %3C |
| > | %3E | %3E |
When to Use URL Encoding
- When creating URLs with parameters containing special characters
- When submitting form data through a URL (GET method)
- When handling internationalized domain names (IDNs)
- When embedding non-ASCII text in URLs
About URL Encoding
URL encoding, also known as percent-encoding, is a mechanism for encoding information in a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). It is used to convert characters into a format that can be transmitted over the Internet.
Common Uses:
- Creating URLs with query parameters containing special characters
- Encoding form data submitted via GET requests
- Handling internationalized domain names and non-ASCII text in URLs
- Creating data URIs
- Ensuring compatibility with various web servers and applications
Types of URL Encoding:
- Standard URL Encoding: Encodes characters that are not allowed in URLs but preserves URI delimiters
- Component URL Encoding: More aggressive encoding that also encodes URI delimiters like /, ?, :, @ and &
- Form URL Encoding: Used for HTML form submissions, replaces spaces with + symbols
Why Encode URLs?
- URLs can only contain a limited set of ASCII characters
- Special characters and spaces need to be encoded for proper transmission
- Prevents URL parsing errors and security issues
- Allows non-English characters and special symbols to be used in web addresses
This tool provides both encoding and decoding capabilities to help you work with URLs properly across different web applications.