URL Encoder/Decoder
Encode or decode URLs for safe transmission
URL encoding converts characters that are not allowed in URLs to a format that is allowed. This is useful when sending data in query strings or form submissions.
Examples
Original:
https://example.com?name=John Doe&age=25
Encoded:
https%3A%2F%2Fexample.com%3Fname%3DJohn%20Doe%26age%3D25
Original:
Search query: 50% off & free shipping!
Encoded:
Search%20query%3A%2050%25%20off%20%26%20free%20shipping%21
About URL Encoding
URL encoding, also known as percent-encoding, is a mechanism for encoding information in a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) under certain circumstances. URL encoding is used when placing text in a query string to convert characters that are not allowed in URLs to a representation that is allowed.
Why URL Encoding is Necessary
URLs can only be sent over the Internet using the ASCII character set. Since URLs often contain characters outside the ASCII set, the URL has to be converted into a valid ASCII format. URL encoding replaces unsafe ASCII characters with a "%" followed by two hexadecimal digits.
Common URL Encoding Examples
| Character | URL Encoded | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Space | %20 | Spaces are encoded as %20 (or + in query strings) |
| / | %2F | Forward slash |
| ? | %3F | Question mark |
| & | %26 | Ampersand |
| = | %3D | Equals sign |
| # | %23 | Hash |
| % | %25 | Percent sign |
| + | %2B | Plus sign |
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between URL encoding and HTML encoding?
URL encoding is used for encoding characters in URLs, while HTML encoding (using entities like <) is used for displaying special characters in HTML content. They serve different purposes and use different encoding schemes.
When should I use URL encoding?
You should use URL encoding when you need to include special characters in a URL, especially in query string parameters. This includes spaces, non-ASCII characters, and characters that have special meaning in URLs like ?, &, =, #, %, and +.
Do all characters need to be URL encoded?
No, only characters that are not allowed in URLs need to be encoded. Alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9) and certain special characters like hyphen (-), underscore (_), period (.), and tilde (~) do not need to be encoded.
Is URL encoding the same across all programming languages?
The basic concept of URL encoding is the same across languages, but there might be slight differences in implementation. For example, some functions might encode spaces as "+" (especially in query strings) while others use "%20". It's important to use the appropriate encoding/decoding functions for your specific language and context.