URL Encoder & Decoder

Why URLs need encoding

Only a small set of characters is allowed in a URL. Spaces, accented letters and special symbols all have to be percent-encoded, so a space becomes %20 and & becomes %26.

• Writing code that builds query strings, where every parameter value must be encoded.
• Passing special characters safely in a GET request.
• Creating WhatsApp share links, which need the message text encoded.
• Setting up OAuth, where a callback URL carries another URL inside it.
• Debugging: drop a messy encoded URL into the decoder and read what it actually contains.

encodeURIComponent or encodeURI?

The encoder here uses encodeURIComponent, which is the safe pick when you are encoding query parameters. Apart from a handful of unreserved characters it converts everything, including /, ?, = and &. To encode a full URL and keep its structure, such as the slashes, use encodeURI instead. Bear in mind that it does not touch & or =, which can go wrong inside a query string.