What Is HTML Encoding?
HTML encoding converts special characters into their HTML entity equivalents. For example, < becomes <, > becomes >, and & becomes &. This ensures characters are displayed literally rather than being interpreted as HTML markup.
Security: HTML encoding is a critical defense against Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) attacks. Always encode user-generated content before inserting it into HTML pages.
Characters That Need HTML Encoding
&→&— Ampersand<→<— Less than>→>— Greater than"→"— Double quote'→'— Single quote / apostrophe
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I use HTML encoding?
Always encode text when inserting user-provided content into HTML. This includes form inputs, database values, API responses, and any other data that could contain HTML characters.