Need to convert special characters to HTML entities or back to plain text? Our free online HTML Entity Encoder/Decoder helps you safely display reserved characters and prevent security vulnerabilities in your web projects.
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Best Practice
Always encode user-generated content before rendering it in HTML to prevent XSS attacks.
Did You Know?
HTML entities always begin with an ampersand (&) and end with a semicolon (;).
< and >.HTML entities are strings that start with an ampersand (&) and end with a semicolon (;). They are used to represent characters that have special meaning in HTML, such as the less-than sign (<), or characters that cannot be easily typed on a keyboard. Encoding these characters ensures that the browser treats them as literal text rather than structural code, which is vital for both data security and the visual layout of a webpage.
Tip
Use named entities for common symbols to make your source code more readable for other developers.
Integrating HTML encoding into your workflow is essential for building robust web applications. When developing APIs that return text to be rendered in a browser, ensure the content is properly escaped. In frontend development, use encoding when handling raw user input before injecting it into the DOM. For email templates, HTML entities ensure that symbols render correctly across diverse email clients, preserving the professional appearance of your communication.
Q: Why should I encode HTML entities? A: Encoding prevents browsers from misinterpreting special characters as HTML code, which protects your site from XSS and layout breakage.
Q: What is the difference between named and numeric entities? A: Named entities (like &) use easy-to-read names, while numeric entities (like &) use the character's Unicode point.
Q: Does this tool support all characters? A: Yes, it supports the standard set of HTML5 reserved characters and a wide range of symbols and accented characters.