URL encoding - what it is, when it breaks, and how to fix it

URL encoding (also known as percent-encoding) is crucial for ensuring that data transmitted via URLs remains valid and interpretable by web servers. Here are some key points to understand about URL encoding, along with common pitfalls and their solutions:

Key Concepts

1. Percent Encoding: Converts special characters into a format that can be safely used in URLs.

   • Example: hello world & more becomes hello%20world%20%26%20more.

2. Encoding Functions:

   • JavaScript: encodeURIComponent()
   • Python: urllib.parse.quote()
   • PHP: urlencode()

3. Common Characters to Encode:

   • Spaces ( ) become %20 or + (for form data).
   • Special characters like &, ?, #.
   • Non-ASCII characters.

Common Pitfalls and Fixes

1. Parameter Value Contains & and Gets Split

   • Issue: The value contains an ampersand (&) which splits the query string.
   • Solution: Encode the entire parameter value using encodeURIComponent() before appending it to the URL.

2. **Spaces Arr

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