Understanding HTML Entity Conversion
HTML entities are codes used to represent special characters, symbols, and reserved characters in web pages. They prevent conflicts with HTML syntax and ensure proper display across different browsers. Our HTML Entity Converter makes it easy to convert between plain text and HTML entities, essential for web developers and content creators.
What Are HTML Entities?
HTML entities are special code sequences that represent characters that have special meaning in HTML or aren't easily typed. They begin with an ampersand (&) and end with a semicolon (;). For example, & represents the ampersand, < represents the less-than sign, and " represents a quotation mark. These entities ensure proper rendering and prevent code injection attacks.
Common HTML Entities
- & - Ampersand (&)
- < - Less than (<)
- > - Greater than (>)
- " - Quotation mark (")
- ' - Single quote (')
- © - Copyright (©)
- ® - Registered (®)
- € - Euro (€)
Why Encoding Matters
HTML encoding prevents security vulnerabilities like cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. When user input contains special characters, encoding it ensures it displays as text rather than being interpreted as HTML code. This is critical for protecting websites from malicious scripts. Content management systems and web frameworks automatically encode special characters to maintain security.
Encoding vs. Decoding
Encoding converts regular text to HTML entities (e.g., "Q&A" becomes "Q&A"). This is necessary when displaying user input or special characters on web pages. Decoding converts HTML entities back to readable text (e.g., "&" becomes "&"). Use encoding when preparing content for web display and decoding when reading HTML source code.