URL Encoder / Decoder

What is URL Encoding (Percent-Encoding)?

URL encoding, also known as percent-encoding, is a process used to convert characters into a format that can be safely transmitted over the internet via Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). URLs can only contain a limited set of characters (alphanumeric characters and a few special symbols like -, _, ., ~).

Any other characters, such as spaces, punctuation, or non-ASCII characters, must be encoded. This involves replacing the unsafe character with a '%' symbol followed by the two-digit hexadecimal representation of the character's ASCII or UTF-8 value.

URL Encoding

Encoding converts unsafe characters in your text into the %HH format. For example, a space character becomes %20, an exclamation mark becomes %21, and the character 'é' might become %C3%A9 (using UTF-8). This ensures that the data remains intact and correctly interpreted when included in a URL query string or path.

URL Decoding

Decoding reverses the process, converting the %HH sequences back into their original characters. This allows applications or servers receiving the URL to correctly interpret the intended data, such as search terms, parameters, or file paths.

Common Use Cases

• Web Development: Encoding user input for query strings or path segments.
• Data Transmission: Ensuring data integrity when passing information via URLs.
• API Calls: Formatting parameters correctly for RESTful APIs.
• Debugging: Decoding URLs found in logs or network requests to understand the data being passed.