URL Encoder

URL encoding (also called percent encoding) is a mechanism for encoding information in a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). It converts special characters in URLs to a format that can be safely transmitted over the internet. Characters like spaces become %20, the @ symbol becomes %40, and other special characters are converted to their hexadecimal representation preceded by a percent sign. URL encoding follows the RFC 3986 standard.

Use URL encoding when including user input in URLs, passing data in query parameters, constructing URLs dynamically, or when special characters need to be safely transmitted in web applications. It's essential for: query string parameters, form data in GET requests, API endpoints with dynamic values, file paths in URLs, and any text that will be part of a URL.

Characters that are encoded include: spaces (become %20), special characters like @, #, $, %, &, +, =, ?, and many others. Reserved characters that have special meaning in URLs (like /, ?, #, [, ], @, !, $, &, ', (, ), *, +, ,, ;, =) are encoded. Unreserved characters (letters, numbers, and characters like - _ . ~) typically don't need encoding but can be encoded.

encodeURIComponent encodes all characters except letters, digits, and - _ . ! ~ * ' ( ), making it suitable for encoding individual URL components like query parameters or path segments. encodeURI encodes fewer characters and is meant for encoding entire URLs, preserving characters like /, ?, and # that have special meaning in URLs. Our tool uses encodeURIComponent, which is the correct choice for encoding values that will be used as URL components.

Absolutely. All URL encoding happens entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Your data never leaves your device, isn't sent to any server, and isn't stored anywhere. This ensures complete privacy and security. The encoding uses the browser's built-in encodeURIComponent function, which runs locally without any network transmission.

You can encode both full URLs and individual URL components. However, for full URLs, you typically only want to encode specific parts (like query parameters) rather than the entire URL, as encoding the entire URL would break the URL structure. For query parameters or other URL components, encoding the entire value is correct. Our tool encodes the entire input, which is perfect for encoding query parameter values, path segments, or other URL components.

URL encoding is necessary because URLs have a specific structure and certain characters have special meanings. Without encoding, special characters can break URL parsing, cause security vulnerabilities, or result in incorrect requests. For example, a space in a URL could be interpreted as a delimiter, or an ampersand (&) in a query parameter could be interpreted as starting a new parameter. Encoding ensures that all characters are transmitted safely and interpreted correctly by browsers and servers.

Our URL encoder follows RFC 3986, which is the official standard for URI encoding. This ensures compatibility with all web browsers, servers, and applications. The encoding uses JavaScript's encodeURIComponent function, which implements RFC 3986 percent-encoding. This means encoded URLs will work correctly across all platforms and systems that follow web standards.