URLenkódolással

URLenkódolással, also known as URL encoding or percent-encoding, is a mechanism for encoding information in a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) within a limited character set. It is a standardized way to represent characters that have special meaning in a URL or characters that are not allowed in a URL. The encoding process replaces reserved characters with a percent sign (%) followed by the two-digit hexadecimal representation of the character's ASCII value. For example, a space character, which is often problematic in URLs, is encoded as %20.

This method is essential for ensuring that URLs can be transmitted and interpreted correctly across different systems and networks. Without URL encoding, special characters like ampersands (&), question marks (?), forward slashes (/), and pound signs (#) could be misinterpreted by web servers or browsers, leading to incorrect requests or broken links. Similarly, non-ASCII characters, such as those found in many languages, are also encoded to ensure compatibility.

The encoding is performed by a client, typically a web browser or an application making a request, before the URL is sent to a server. The server then decodes the URL to retrieve the original characters. While most modern browsers handle URL encoding automatically, understanding the process is crucial for developers working with web applications, APIs, or any system that involves passing data through URLs. The specific set of reserved and unreserved characters is defined by RFC 3986.