ODOnlineDefinition

url decoding

Verb phrase / Noun phrase
DefinitionURL decoding is the process of converting percent-encoded characters in a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) back into their original character form. When a URL contains special characters that are not allowed or have special meaning within a URL, they are often encoded as a percent sign (%) followed by two hexadecimal digits. This process reverses that encoding, making the URL human-readable and usable by applications. For example, a space character, which is not allowed in URLs, is often encoded as "%20", and URL decoding converts "%20" back into a space. This is essential for web servers and browsers to correctly interpret the parameters and paths within a URL.
Example

"Before displaying the search query to the user, the application performs URL decoding to convert "%20" back into spaces, showing 'hello world' instead of 'hello%20world'."

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Etymology & Word Origins

Derived from 'URL' (Uniform Resource Locator) and 'decoding', referring to the process of reversing an encoding.

Translations
Spanishdecodificación de URL
Frenchdécodage d'URL
GermanURL-Dekodierung