エンコーディングとデコーディングとは？

What is encoding and decoding? Home Network infrastructure Share this item with your network: By Andrew Zola Published: Jul 13, 2021 What is encoding and decoding in a computer? Encoding and decoding are used in many forms of communications, including computing, data communications, programming, digital electronics and human communications. These two processes involve changing the format of content for optimal transmission or storage. In computers, encoding is the process of putting a sequence of characters (letters, numbers, punctuation, and certain symbols) into a specialized format for efficient transmission or storage. Decoding is the opposite process -- the conversion of an encoded format back into the original sequence of characters. These terms should not be confused with encryption and decryption , which focus on hiding and securing data. (We can encrypt data without changing the code or encode data without deliberately concealing the content.) What is encoding and decoding in data communications? Encoding and decoding processes for data communications have interesting origins. For example, Morse code emerged in 1838 when Samuel Morse created standardized sequences of two signal durations, called dots and dashes , for use with the telegraph. Today's amateur radio operators still use Q-signals, which evolved from codes the British Postmaster General created in the early 1900s to ease communication among British ships and coast stations. Manchester encoding was developed for storing data on magnetic drums of the Manchester Mark 1 computer, built in 1949. In that encoding model, each binary digit, or bit, is encoded low then high, or high then low, for equal time. Also known as phase encoding , the Manchester process of encoding is used in consumer infrared protocols, radio frequency identification and near-field communication . What is encoding and decoding in programming? Internet access relies on encoding. A Uniform Resource Locator (URL), the address of a webpage, can only be sent over the internet using the American Standard Code for Information Interchange ( ASCII ), which is the code used for text files in computing. Here is an example of ASCII encoding for the string In an ASCII file, a 7-bit binary number represents each character, which can be uppercase or lowercase letters, numbers, punctuation marks and other common symbols. However, URLs cannot contain spaces and often have characters that aren't in the ASCII character set. URL encoding, also called percent encoding , addresses this through the conversion of spaces -- to a + sign or with %20 -- and non-ASCII characters into a valid ASCII format. Other commonly used codes in programming include BinHex , Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions , Unicode and Uuencode . Some ways encoding and decoding are used in various programming languages include the following. In Java Encoding and decoding in Java is a method of representing data in a different format to efficiently transfer information through a network or the web. The encoder converts data into a web representation. Once received, the decoder converts the web representation data into its original format. In Python In the Python programming language, encoding represents a Unicode string as a string of bytes. This commonly occurs when you transfer an instance over a network or save it to a disk file. Decoding transforms a string of bytes into a Unicode string. This happens when you receive a string of bytes from a disk file or the network. In Swift In the Apple Swift programming language, encoding and decoding models typically represent a serialization of object data from a JavaScript Object Notation string format. In this case, encoding represents serialization, while decoding signifies deserialization. Whenever you serialize data, you convert it into an easily transportable format. Once transported, it converts back into its original format. This approach standardizes the protocol and enables interoperability between different programming languages and platforms. What is encoding and decoding in digital electronics? In electronics, the terms encoding and decoding reference analog-to-digital conversion and digital-to-analog conversion. These terms can apply to any form of data, including text, images, audio, video, multimedia and software, and to signals in sensors, telemetry and control systems. What is encoding and decoding in human communication? People don't think about it as an encoding or decoding process, but human communication begins when a sender formulates (encodes) a message. They choose the message they will convey and a communication channel. People do this every day with little thought to the encoding process. The receiver must make sense of (decode) the message by deducing the meaning of words and phrases to interpret the message correctly. They then can provide feedback to the sender. Both the sender and receiver in any communication process must deal with noise that can get in the way of the communication process. Noise involves the various ways that messages get disrupted, distorted or delayed. These can include actual physiological noise, technical problems or semantic, psychological and cultural issues that get in the way of communication. Encoding and decoding are an integral part of all communication. These processes occur almost instantly in any of these three models: Transmission model. This model of communication is a linear process where a sender transmits a message to a receiver. Interaction model. In this model, participants take turns as senders and receivers. Transaction model. Here, communicators generate social realities within cultural, relational and social contexts. They communicate to create a relationship, engage with communities and form intercultural alliances. In this model, participants are labeled as communicators , not senders and receivers. Decoding messages in your native tongue feels effortless. When the language is unfamiliar, however, the receiver may need a translator or tools like Google Translate for decoding the message. Beyond the basics of encoding and decoding, machine translation capabilities have made significant progress of late. Find out more about machine translation technology and tools . Continue Reading About encoding and decoding 5 essential programming languages for cybersecurity pros A primer on DNA data storage and its potential uses 2 data-wrangling techniques for better machine learning Developers, get 'image conscious' for royalty-free image codec JPEG XL 10 best programming languages to learn Related Terms What is 5G? Fifth-generation wireless or 5G is a global standard and technology for wireless and telecommunications networks. See complete definition What is a small cell in wireless networks? A small cell is a type of low-power cellular radio access point or base station that provides wireless service within a limited ... See complete definition What is millimeter wave (mmWave)? Millimeter wave (mmWave) is a range of electromagnetic frequencies that exist between microwaves and infrared light. See complete definition Dig Deeper on Network infrastructure What is COMSEC (communications security)? By: Paul Kirvan An explanation of encryption By: Madeleine Streets What is binary and how is it used in computing? By: Rahul Awati What is bit (binary digit) in computing? By: Rahul Awati Sponsored News Using Member Engagement to Balance Personalization, Participation –Zelis Healthcare Key elements of effective member incentive programs –Zelis Healthcare See More Vendor Resources An Introduction to Satellite Network Architecture –TechTarget 27 of the Best Large Language Models in 2025 –TechTarget Search Unified Communications How to plan an AI-driven hybrid conference room setup AI is being tapped to help organizations fortify their hybrid conference rooms with video and audio features designed to achieve ... The UC stack gets the policy job As UCaaS platforms add AI and become central to hybrid work, enterprises need to balance cloud scale with control over ... VoIP analytics transforms call data into business insights VoIP analytics can identify trends in call performance that IT leaders correlate with business outcomes to improve call quality, ... Search Storage Solving quantum computing's longstanding no-cloning problem University of Waterloo proposes encrypted qubit encodings that enable one-time reconstruction, reframing quantum data resilience,... The storage modernization imperative in a fast-changing IT landscape As IT leaders push for storage modernization, Omdia study finds 80% of IT leaders believe it critical to IT effectiveness for ... Enterprises face new storage bottlenecks as AI grows For CIOs and IT leaders, AI performance depends on storage. See how strategies like NVMe and parallel file systems can prevent ... Search Enterprise AI Build and organize an effective machine learning team Putting together an ML team requires a business understand why it needs one and the core roles involved in making all aspects of ... Claude Mythos Preview and the new rules of cybersecurity AI is reshaping cybersecurity. Anthropic's Claude Mythos Preview exposes a new era of rapid, autonomous vulnerability discovery ... Is the AI bubble about to burst, or is it recalibrating? Massive investment is flowing into AI, but rising costs and inconsistent returns are testing whether the boom is sustainable and ... Search Data Center Balancing automation with human oversight in AI data centers AI enhances data center operations through automation but requires human governance to manage risks, ensure ethical use and ... AI capacity planning: Balancing flexibility, performance and risk AI is transforming capacity planning, introducing unpredictable demand patterns. IT leaders must adopt new models to optimize ... Modern data center sustainability: 5 best practices to consider Sustainable data centers are needed as energy demands rise. CIOs