URL Encode/Decode

Component encoding (encodeURIComponent) escapes nearly all reserved characters, so it's right for a single query parameter or path segment. URI encoding (encodeURI) leaves characters like / : ? & = untouched, since it's meant for encoding a whole URL that already has structure.

No, they're often confused but are different techniques. URL encoding (percent-encoding) replaces unsafe characters with %XX sequences and keeps most ASCII text readable, while Base64 re-encodes the entire input into a compact alphabet — you'd use URL-safe Base64 for a different purpose, like embedding binary data in a URL.

No. Encoding and decoding happen entirely in your browser, so nothing you paste here is transmitted anywhere.