URL Encoder Decoder

What is a URL Encoder Decoder?

A URL Encoder Decoder is a tool that converts text into a format suitable for transmission over the internet by encoding special characters into a percent-encoded format. This process involves replacing characters such as spaces, punctuation, and other non-ASCII characters with a "%" followed by their ASCII hexadecimal representation. For example, a space becomes "%20". Decoding reverses this process, converting percent-encoded strings back to their original text. This tool is essential for ensuring URLs are correctly formatted for web browsers and servers, allowing for the safe transfer of data without misinterpretation due to special characters.


Which Characters Are Allowed in a URL?

The characters allowed in a URI are either reserved or unreserved (or a percent character as part of a percent-encoding). Reserved characters are those characters that sometimes have special meaning, while unreserved characters have no such meaning. Using percent-encoding, characters that otherwise would not be allowed are represented using allowed characters. The sets of reserved and unreserved characters and the circumstances under which certain reserved characters have special meaning have changed slightly with each revision of specifications that govern URIs and URI schemes.
According to RFC 3986, the characters in a URL have to be taken from a defined set of unreserved and reserved ASCII characters. Any other characters are not allowed in a URL.
The unreserved characters can be encoded, but should not be encoded. The unreserved characters are: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 - _ . ~
The reserved characters have to be encoded only under certain circumstances. The reserved characters are: ! * ' ( ) ; : @ & = + $ , / ? % # [ ]


To use the URL Encoder Decoder tool on 360converters.com, follow these steps:

1. Input Text: In the provided text box, enter the URL or text you want to encode or decode.
2. Select Action: Choose whether you want to encode or decode the text. There should be options or buttons labeled accordingly.
3. Process the Text: Click on the "Convert" or "Submit" button to process the text. The tool will then perform the encoding or decoding operation.
4. View Results: The encoded or decoded result will be displayed below the input box. You can copy the result for your use.
5. Repeat if Necessary: If you have more text to encode or decode, you can repeat the process.

This tool is straightforward and helps ensure that URLs are correctly formatted for web use.


FAQ
1. Why do we need URL Encoding?
There are times when you need to pass characters that are invalid for URLs, such as " < > # % | ^ [ ] ` spaces. For example, whitespace is not a valid URL character, since it would be difficult to see the full URL in texts with whitespace.
When you need to pass reserved characters for URLs, such as ! # $ % & ' ( ) * + , / : ; = ? @ [ ]. For example, ? is reserved to mark the start of query parameters, and if we do not encode ? in the path or inside query parameter, it might break the syntax.

2. How do I encode a URL?
Our URL encoding and decoding tool allows you to input a standard URL, and then it will provide you with a UTF-8 encoded version, using ASCII characters.
The tool first converts each reserved, unprintable, or non-ASCII character to one or more bytes. Then each byte is represented by two hexadecimal digits preceded by a percent sign (%) - (e.g. %2E). That gives us the URL-encoded value. The percent sign is used as an escape character. That’s why we also refer to URL encoding as percent encoding.
For instance, let’s look at how to URL encode the character @. To encode @, we first convert it into a sequence of bytes using its ASCII value. The ASCII value of @ in decimal is 64, which when converted to hexadecimal comes out to be 40. We then precede the hex value with a percent sign, which gives us the final URL encoded value of %40.

360 Converters Effortlessly convert text into web-friendly URLs with our URL Encoder Decoder. Whether you need to encode special characters for safe transmission or decode percent-encoded strings back to their original form, our intuitive tool simplifies the process, ensuring your URLs are clear, accurate, and ready for seamless online sharing.