URL encoding ensures that special characters in URLs are transmitted correctly. Also known as percent-encoding, this converts unsafe characters to a % followed by two hexadecimal digits.
Characters That Need Encoding
**Reserved Characters**: ! # $ & ' ( ) * + , / : ; = ? @ [ ] These have special meaning in URLs and must be encoded when used in data.
**Unsafe Characters**: Spaces, < > { } | \ ^ ` and non-ASCII characters These may be misinterpreted or corrupted during transmission.
Common Use Cases
- **Query Parameters**: Encoding user input in search queries - **Form Data**: application/x-www-form-urlencoded submissions - **Redirects**: Encoding target URLs in redirect parameters - **API Requests**: Ensuring special characters don't break API calls