URL Encoder / Decoder
Encode or decode URLs and query parameters instantly. Handles special characters, spaces, and Unicode properly.
About URL Encoder / Decoder
URL encoding (also known as percent-encoding) is a mechanism for converting special characters in a URL into a format that can be safely transmitted over the internet. Characters like spaces, ampersands, question marks, and non-ASCII characters are replaced with percent signs followed by two hexadecimal digits.
Our URL Encoder/Decoder uses JavaScript's built-in encodeURIComponent and decodeURIComponent functions, which follow the RFC 3986 standard for URI encoding. This ensures proper handling of reserved characters, Unicode characters, and special symbols that have meaning in URL syntax.
Common scenarios where URL encoding is needed include passing query parameters with special characters, embedding URLs within other URLs, working with API requests that contain spaces or symbols, and ensuring data integrity when transmitting text over HTTP.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q What is URL encoding?
URL encoding converts characters into a format that can be transmitted over the Internet. Only ASCII characters are allowed in URLs, so any special or non-ASCII character must be encoded as a percent sign (%) followed by two hexadecimal digits. For example, a space becomes %20 and an ampersand becomes %26.
Q What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?
encodeURI encodes a complete URL but preserves characters like :, /, ?, &, = that are part of the URL structure. encodeURIComponent encodes all special characters including those reserved ones, making it suitable for encoding individual query parameter values. Our tool uses encodeURIComponent for maximum safety.
Q When should I use URL encoding?
Use URL encoding whenever you need to include special characters, spaces, or non-ASCII text in a URL's query string or path. This includes form submissions, API requests with parameters, redirect URLs, and any situation where data with special characters needs to be passed through a URL.