How To Encode URL and Query String In Python?

How To Encode URL and Query String In Python?

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URL or Uniform Resource Locator is a technology and standard used to define different digital resources. The URL is well known with the website addresses like https://www.pythontect.com. Python provides different methods in order to encode the URL properly in order to form it in a global form. The urllib.parse module can be used to encode URL and Query String. This module can parse the following protocols.

file, ftp, gopher, hdl, http, https, imap, mailto, mms, news, nntp, prospero, rsync, rtsp, rtspu, sftp, shttp, sip, sips, snews, svn, svn+ssh, telnet, wais, ws, wss

Python URL Encode Methods

Python provides the following methods in order to encode a URL or query string.

  • quote() Method
  • urlencode() Method

Encode URL with quote() Method

Python provides the quote() method which will encode the provided string. The quote() method is provided by the urllib.parse module which is a built-in module. There is no need to install this module just importing it will work.

import urllib.parse

URL = "https://www.pythontect.com/about/?name=ismail&pass=123"

encoded_URL = urllib.parse.quote(URL)

print(encoded_URL)

The encoded URL which will be printed to the standard output will be like below.

https%3A//www.pythontect.com/about/%3Fname%3Dismail%26pass%3D123

As we can see from the encoded URL some signs like / do not encode into different characters. But there is a way that encodes the URL safer by encoding all non-alphabet characters. The safe parameter can be set empty string which will convert all non-alphabet characters.

import urllib.parse

URL = "https://www.pythontect.com/about/?name=ismail&pass=123"

encoded_URL = urllib.parse.quote(URL,safe="")

print(encoded_URL)

The output will be like below.

https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pythontect.com%2Fabout%2F%3Fname%3Dismail%26pass%3D123

Encode URL or Query String with urlencode() Method

Another method to encode a URL is the urlencode() method which is provided via urllib.parse module too. As a built-in module just importing the urllib.parse module will work without problem. URL encoding is especially used for encoding query strings where they consist of key-value pairs which are very same as the dictionary items. The parameters are provided as a dictionary to the urlencode() method.

import urllib.parse

query_string = { "username":"ismail baydan" , "password":"123"}

encoded_URL = urllib.parse.urlencode( query_string )

print(encoded_URL)

The output will be like below.

username=ismail+baydan&password=123

Encode Space As + Sign

By default the urllib.parse() method encodes the spaces as %20 . This is the most popular method to encode space. But alternatively, space can be encoded as + sign by using the urllib.parse.quote_plus() method like below.

import urllib.parse

URL = "https://www.pythontect.com/about/?name=ismail baydan&pass=123"

encoded_URL = urllib.parse.quote_plus(URL,safe="")

print(encoded_URL)

The output is like below where the space between “ismail” and “baydan” is enoded as “+”.

https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pythontect.com%2Fabout%2F%3Fname%3Dismail+baydan%26pass%3D123

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