September 1, 2024

URL Encoding and Decoding: A Practical Guide

URLs use percent-encoding to safely transport bytes over ASCII-only channels. Always encode only the parts that need it (e.g., query values) and keep reserved characters where appropriate.

  • Use UTF-8 before encoding.
  • Encode query values, not the entire URL.
  • Decode exactly once to avoid double-decoding bugs.

Try our URL Encoder/Decoder.

Advertisement