Encode plain text into HTML entities to prevent XSS injection, or decode HTML entities back to plain text.
Key Features of HTML Encoder/Decoder
- Named vs. Numeric Formats Convert text to human-readable named entities (<) or safe numeric entity codes (<).
- Complete Tag Escapes Instantly escapes angle brackets, quotes, and ampersands to render HTML code snippets safely.
- Secure Sandbox Rendering Sanitizes strings natively in your browser thread, avoiding SQL or script injection risks.
- Real-Time Conversions Encoding updates as you type, with one-click clipboard copying for fast integration.
HTML Encoder/Decoder Examples
Escaping Raw HTML Snippet
Safely format code elements for blog or documentation templates.
Input
<script>alert('XSS')</script>Output
<script>alert('XSS')</script>How to Use HTML Encoder/Decoder
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1. Paste HTML or Encoded Text
Enter raw HTML containing special characters, or paste an already-encoded HTML entity string.
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2. Choose Encode or Decode
Select Encode to convert characters to HTML entities, or Decode to convert entities back to readable text.
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3. Copy the Output
The result appears right away. Copy the encoded or decoded text to your clipboard.
Common Use Cases for HTML Encoder/Decoder
- Rendering Code Tutorials Escape raw markup tags so they print as clear code summaries instead of triggering page scripts.
- Preventing Injection Attacks Anonymize and cleanse user input data before storing it in backend databases.
- Sanitizing Rich Clipboard Data Clear HTML tags from copied web layout fragments to keep raw characters.
The Technical Details
The HTML Sanitizer executes locally without server communication. When an HTML block is pasted, the tool instantiates a virtual memory DOM element in JavaScript.
To decode, the string is assigned to the element’s innerHTML tag, and the raw plain characters are read back from textContent. To encode, characters are mapped against a static regex lookup map to replace key markup blocks with named entities, completely blocking browser parsing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between named and decimal entities?
Named entities use readable names like < while decimal entities use numeric codes like <. Both are valid HTML.
When should I encode HTML?
Encode HTML when displaying user-generated content on a page to prevent cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks.
Is my data sent to a server?
No. All encoding and decoding runs in your browser; nothing is ever uploaded.
Which special characters are included?
The tool encodes all HTML special characters including <, >, &, ", ', and optionally all non-ASCII characters.