📚 About URL Encoding & Decoding
Everything you need to know about URL encoding and how to use this tool effectively
What is URL Encoding?
URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) converts special characters into a format that can be safely transmitted over the internet. It's essential for:
- Query parameters: Passing data in URL query strings
- Form submission: Encoding form data in URLs
- API requests: Safely transmitting parameters to APIs
- Search terms: Encoding special characters in search queries
- URL safety: Ensuring URLs contain only safe ASCII characters
How It Works
Encoding Process:
- Identify special characters and spaces in the text
- Convert each special character to its UTF-8 byte representation
- Replace each byte with a percent sign (%) followed by two hexadecimal digits
- Spaces are encoded as + or %20
Example: "Hello World!" becomes "Hello%20World%21"
Tool Features
- Instant URL encoding and decoding
- Support for special characters and Unicode
- Handles query parameters and form data
- Copy to clipboard functionality
- Line numbers for easy reference
- Works 100% in your browser (no server upload)
Common Use Cases
- Search URLs: Encode search terms for Google or other search engines
- API Calls: Encode parameters for REST API requests
- Web Forms: Encode data submitted through HTML forms
- Email Links: Create safe URLs for email templates
- Debugging: Decode URLs to inspect encoded parameters
How to Use This Tool
🔐 To Encode a URL:
- Paste or type your text in the Input Text area
- Click the Encode button
- The URL-encoded result appears in the Output area
- Click to copy the result
🔓 To Decode a URL:
- Paste your encoded URL in the Input Text area
- Click the Decode button
- The decoded text appears in the Output area
- Click to copy the result
Reserved Characters
RFC 3986 defines reserved characters for URLs:
Note: Reserved characters have special meaning in URLs and should only be encoded when used as data values, not as URL structure.
Tips & Tricks
- Spaces: Always encode as %20 in URLs
- Query strings: Encode the value part after the = sign
- Plus sign: + in query strings represents a space
- Case sensitive: %2F and %2f are equivalent
- Fragment identifiers: Be careful with # characters
Common Issues & Solutions
❌ Spaces Not Encoded
Solution: Spaces should be encoded as %20. If they appear as +, this is also valid in query strings but typically spaces should be %20.
❌ Special Characters
Solution: All non-ASCII characters must be URL-encoded. This includes accented letters, symbols, and Unicode characters.
❌ Double Encoding
Solution: Avoid encoding already-encoded URLs as it creates double encoding (% becomes %25).
❌ Fragment Issues
Solution: The # character denotes the start of a fragment. Be careful not to include it in query parameters.
Advanced Information
Encoding Standards:
- RFC 3986: URI Generic Syntax (modern standard)
- RFC 2396: Older URI specification
- UTF-8: Used for encoding non-ASCII characters
Common Encoded Characters:
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