Converter Qu

📚 Common Character Encodings

Here are the most frequently encoded characters in URLs:

📖 What is URL Encoding?

URL encoding (also called percent encoding) is a mechanism for converting special characters in URLs to a format that can be transmitted over the Internet. URLs can only contain a limited set of characters from the ASCII character set.

When a character is not available in this set or has special meaning in a URL, it must be encoded. URL encoding replaces unsafe ASCII characters with a "%" followed by two hexadecimal digits representing the character's ASCII code.

🎯 When to Use URL Encoding

• Query String Parameters: When passing data in URL parameters with special characters
• Form Data Submission: When submitting forms using GET method with special characters
• API Requests: When constructing API endpoints with dynamic parameters
• Search Queries: When building search URLs with user input containing spaces or symbols
• File Names in URLs: When linking to files with spaces or special characters
• Email Links: When creating mailto: links with subject and body parameters
• OAuth & Authentication: When redirecting with state parameters containing special characters
• Social Media Sharing: When creating share links with titles and descriptions

💡 Encode Component vs Full URL

encodeURIComponent() - Encode Component:

Encodes all characters except: A-Z a-z 0-9 - _ . ! ~ * ' ( )

Use this for encoding individual URL components like query parameters, path segments, or any value that will be part of a URL.

Input:  search?q=hello world&category=tech
Output: search?q=hello%20world&category=tech

encodeURI() - Encode Full URL:

Encodes special characters but preserves URL structure characters like : / ? # [ ] @ ! $ & ' ( ) * + , ; =

Use this when you want to encode an entire URL while keeping it functional as a URL.

Input:  https://example.com/search?q=hello world
Output: https://example.com/search?q=hello%20world

🔧 Common Use Cases with Examples

1. Search Query with Spaces:

Original: https://example.com/search?q=web development
Encoded:  https://example.com/search?q=web%20development

2. URL with Special Characters:

Original: https://example.com/article?title=Top 10 Tips & Tricks!
Encoded:  https://example.com/article?title=Top%2010%20Tips%20%26%20Tricks!

3. Email Mailto Link:

Original: mailto:test@example.com?subject=Hello World&body=How are you?
Encoded:  mailto:test@example.com?subject=Hello%20World&body=How%20are%20you%3F

4. Multiple Parameters:

Original: api.example.com/data?name=John Doe&age=25&city=New York
Encoded:  api.example.com/data?name=John%20Doe&age=25&city=New%20York

5. JSON Data in URL:

Original: api/search?filter={"status":"active","type":"user"}
Encoded:  api/search?filter=%7B%22status%22%3A%22active%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22user%22%7D

💻 For Developers: JavaScript Integration

You can easily implement URL encoding in your JavaScript code:

// Encode a URL component (recommended for parameters)
const encoded = encodeURIComponent('hello world!@#');
console.log(encoded); // hello%20world!%40%23

// Decode a URL component
const decoded = decodeURIComponent('hello%20world!%40%23');
console.log(decoded); // hello world!@#

// Encode full URL (preserves URL structure)
const fullUrl = encodeURI('https://example.com/search?q=hello world');
console.log(fullUrl); // https://example.com/search?q=hello%20world

// Decode full URL
const decodedUrl = decodeURI('https://example.com/search?q=hello%20world');
console.log(decodedUrl); // https://example.com/search?q=hello world

⚠️ Important Notes & Best Practices

• Always encode user input before adding it to URLs to prevent injection attacks
• Use encodeURIComponent() for individual parameters, not encodeURI()
• Don't double-encode - check if data is already encoded before encoding again
• The "+" character can represent space in query strings (older standard)
• Modern applications prefer %20 over + for better compatibility
• URL encoding is case-insensitive (%2f and %2F are equivalent)
• Some characters like @ in email addresses don't need encoding in all contexts
• Maximum URL length varies by browser (typically 2048 characters)
• Consider using POST for large data instead of encoding in GET URLs

🔒 Privacy & Security

• Client-Side Processing: All encoding/decoding happens in your browser
• No Server Communication: Your URLs never leave your device
• No Data Logging: We don't store, track, or log any URLs
• No Registration: Use the tool anonymously without creating an account
• Secure Connection: HTTPS encrypted for safe browsing
• Offline Capable: Works without internet after page loads

❓ Frequently Asked Questions