How Does URL Encoding & Decoding Work?

URL encoding (percent-encoding) translates unprintable or special reserved characters (such as spaces, &, ?, =, and /) into standard RFC 3986 format using percentage hex values (e.g., space becomes %20). Decoding reverses this process, returning percent-escaped text back to readable plain text.

Common Use Cases for Developers

• Building Safe Query Parameters: Escape spaces, query flags, and special characters before attaching them to URL parameters.
• Debugging Webhooks & Redirects: Inspect raw destination paths and parameters embedded inside encoded redirect URLs or OAuth state parameters.
• Preventing Parameter Pollution: Sanitize string payloads before sending GET or POST requests across network APIs.

100% Client-Side Privacy

Your data never leaves your browser. All encoding and decoding actions execute locally in your browser using native JavaScript functions, ensuring your queries, API endpoints, and parameters remain completely secure.