URL encoding (also called percent-encoding) converts characters that are not allowed in URLs into a format that can be safely transmitted. Spaces become %20, Hindi characters become their UTF-8 percent-encoded equivalents, and special characters are escaped. Our tool handles encoding, decoding, parsing and building URLs.
When Do Developers Need URL Encoding?
- API development — query parameters with special characters must be URL-encoded before sending HTTP requests
- Form submission — HTML forms use URL encoding for POST data
- Debugging — decode an encoded URL to see what parameters are being sent
- Analytics UTM links — UTM parameters in marketing URLs need proper encoding
- Hindi/regional language URLs — Devanagari characters in URLs are percent-encoded
URL Encoding vs URI Encoding
encodeURI() encodes an entire URL but leaves reserved characters (:, /, ?, #, etc.) unchanged because they have special meaning in URLs. encodeURIComponent() encodes everything including reserved characters — use this for individual query parameter values. Our tool offers both options.
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