Can I use an at (@) sign in the path part of an url

Question

I know it can't be part of the authority section as usernames with an @ are used there, but can I use it in the path section.

The reason I want to use it is as part of an url for a users resources. eg

www.example.com/user@domain.com/someresource

A comprehensive answer: https://stackoverflow.com/a/19737890/133665 — HuBeZa, Feb 09 '22 at 14:49

score 7 · Accepted Answer · edited Oct 07 '21 at 08:14

7

The @ symbol is a reserved character in RFC 3986 so it is not allowed in your URL. It would be converted to %40 when URL encoding is used.

edited Oct 07 '21 at 08:14

Community

answered Jun 14 '13 at 10:12

Brett

I was going to say similar. But then started trying to decide what "If data for a URI component would conflict with a reserved character's purpose as a delimiter ..." is trying to highlight. And then, of course, `/` is also a reserved character, and I'm fairly sure you're allowed those in a URL. – Damien_The_Unbeliever Jun 14 '13 at 10:20
`/` is allowed when being used for its reserved purpose. It is the same for `@` which can be used in the authority part of the URI, but not anywhere else. – Brett Jun 14 '13 at 10:53

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 14 '13 at 10:14

3

In your case, best practice for RESTful and nice URLS, it should be www.example.com/domain.com/user/someresource

answered Jun 14 '13 at 10:14

igo

2 Answers2