What is the difference between encodeURI and encodeURIComponent?

encodeURI encodes a full URL, preserving characters like : / ? # that have structural meaning. encodeURIComponent encodes everything including those characters, making it suitable for encoding individual query parameter values.

How do I decode a JWT token?

A JWT consists of three Base64URL-encoded sections separated by dots: header, payload, and signature. Our JWT Inspector tab decodes the header and payload into readable JSON and checks whether the token has expired. Note: the payload is signed, not encrypted, so it is readable without a secret key.

Is Base64 the same as URL encoding?

No. URL encoding (percent-encoding) converts characters to %XX hex sequences for safe transmission in URLs. Base64 encodes arbitrary binary data as ASCII text using 64 printable characters. URL-safe Base64 replaces + with - and / with _ so the output can be used inside URLs.

URL Encoder & Decoder Online — Free Developer Tools

url:encode-decode.sh

Auto

INPUT 0 chars

OUTPUT 0 chars

Encoded chars: 0

Ratio: —

Bytes (UTF-8): 0

quick-insert chars

query-params-builder.sh

BASE URL

◈ Parameters

RESULT URL

—

base64-encode-decode.sh

INPUT0 chars

OUTPUT0 chars

Padding: —

Valid: —

jwt-inspector.sh

PASTE JWT TOKEN

hash-generator.sh

INPUT STRING

url-diff.sh

TEXT A

TEXT B

DIFF RESULT

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◈ URL Encoding Quick Reference

What is URL Encoding?

Converts special characters to % followed by two hex digits so URLs transmit safely over HTTP.

space → %20 ! → %21
@ → %40 # → %23

encodeURI vs encodeURIComponent

encodeURI — preserves : / ? # [ ] @ for full URL encoding.
encodeURIComponent — encodes everything; use for param values.

? → %3F & → %26
= → %3D + → %2B

UTF-8 & Emojis

Multi-byte Unicode characters expand to multiple percent-encoded bytes.

café → caf%C3%A9
🚀 → %F0%9F%9A%80
中 → %E4%B8%AD

Reserved Characters

These are safe in URLs but have semantic meaning — encode when used as data.

: / ? # [ ] @ ! $ &
' ( ) * + , ; =

Base64 Basics

Encodes binary data as ASCII. Used in JWTs, data URIs, email attachments.

hello → aGVsbG8=
URL-safe replaces + with - and / with _

JWT Structure

Three Base64URL-encoded parts separated by dots: header, payload, signature.

header.payload.signature
Payload is NOT encrypted — only signed.

Common Hash Algorithms

One-way functions — SHA-256 is recommended for integrity, MD5 only for checksums.

SHA-1: 160-bit (deprecated)
SHA-256: 256-bit ✓
SHA-512: 512-bit ✓✓

Security Notes

URL encoding ≠ encryption. Never put secrets in URLs — they appear in server logs and history.

✓ Use HTTPS
✗ Don't URL-encode passwords
✓ Use Authorization header

◈ Keyboard Shortcuts

Encode

CtrlEnter

Decode

Ctrl⇧D

Swap

Ctrl⇧S

Clear

Ctrl⇧C

Copy Output

Ctrl⇧X

Open History

Ctrl⇧H

◈ Preferences

Auto-detect mode Automatically encode or decode based on input

Save history Store conversions in localStorage

Scanline effect CRT scanline overlay

Show char stats Display encoding statistics

◈ Data Management