About the JSON URL Decode
Debugging a filtered search or a callback usually starts with a long link from an address bar or a log line. You do not have to cut the parameter out first: paste the whole URL and the decoder finds the parameter whose value looks like JSON, decodes it and prints it formatted. Name the parameter explicitly when a link carries more than one candidate.
Double encoding is common when a value passes through a redirect, and it shows up as sequences such as %253A where a single colon was meant. Raise the pass count and each pass unwraps one layer, up to four. The plus sign switch matters just as much: in a form encoded value a plus means a space, but inside a Base64 fragment it is a real character, so turn the switch off when the payload is not from a form.
When the text decodes cleanly but is not valid JSON, the error says so and points at the offending line and column instead of blaming the URL. That distinction saves time, because it tells you the transport was fine and the payload itself is broken.
Pretty printing is on by default so the structure is readable at a glance, and sorting keys helps when two captured links should hold the same filter. To build such a link, use JSON URL Encode, and to inspect the rest of the address try the URL Parser.
How to use
- Paste the full URL or just the encoded value, or press Sample to load a search link.
- Type a parameter name when the link carries several encoded values.
- Raise Decode passes to 2 or more if you still see sequences such as
%253A. - Read the formatted JSON, then copy it or download
decoded.json.
Common questions
- Can I paste a complete URL?
- Yes. The query string is split for you and the parameter that looks like JSON is decoded. Name a parameter when the guess would be ambiguous.
- What does raising the pass count do?
- Each pass removes one layer of percent encoding. Values that crossed a redirect are often encoded twice, which shows up as %253A instead of %3A.
- When should I turn off the plus setting?
- When the value is not from an HTML form. A plus sign inside Base64 data is a real character and turning a plus into a space would corrupt it.
- The text decoded but the parse failed. What now?
- The transport was fine and the payload itself is malformed. The error gives the line and column, and the JSON Fixer can often repair the rest.