Query Parameter Manipulation API: The Complete Guide

Need to parse, modify, or build URL query strings? This guide covers everything about query parameter manipulation via API, including parsing complex query strings, adding/removing parameters, and implementation examples.

Understanding Query Strings

A query string is the part of a URL after the ? symbol, containing key-value pairs separated by &. For example:

https://example.com/search?q=hello&page=1&limit=10

Query strings can have complex scenarios:

• Multiple values for the same key: ?color=red&color=blue
• Encoded characters: ?name=John%20Doe
• Empty values: ?flag&name=test

Available Operations

Parse

Extract query parameters into a structured object.

Add/Set

Add new parameters or update existing ones.

Remove

Delete specific parameters from the query string.

Build

Construct a query string from an object of parameters.

Using the Query Params API

TinyFn provides comprehensive query parameter operations:

POST https://api.tinyfn.io/v1/url/query-params
Headers: X-API-Key: your-api-key
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "operation": "parse",
  "url": "https://example.com/search?q=hello&page=1&tags=a&tags=b"
}

{
  "params": {
    "q": "hello",
    "page": "1",
    "tags": ["a", "b"]
  },
  "query_string": "q=hello&page=1&tags=a&tags=b",
  "param_count": 3
}

{
  "operation": "modify",
  "url": "https://example.com/search?q=hello&page=1",
  "add": {"limit": "20", "sort": "date"},
  "remove": ["page"]
}

Parameters

Code Examples

JavaScript / Node.js

const response = await fetch(
  'https://api.tinyfn.io/v1/url/query-params',
  {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'X-API-Key': 'your-api-key',
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      operation: 'modify',
      url: 'https://example.com?page=1',
      add: { limit: '20', sort: 'date' },
      remove: ['page']
    })
  }
);
const { result } = await response.json();
console.log(result); // "https://example.com?limit=20&sort=date"

Python

import requests

response = requests.post(
    'https://api.tinyfn.io/v1/url/query-params',
    headers={'X-API-Key': 'your-api-key'},
    json={
        'operation': 'parse',
        'url': 'https://example.com?q=hello&page=1'
    }
)
params = response.json()['params']
print(params)  # {'q': 'hello', 'page': '1'}

cURL

curl -X POST "https://api.tinyfn.io/v1/url/query-params" \
  -H "X-API-Key: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"operation": "parse", "url": "https://example.com?q=hello"}'

Common Use Cases

• URL Modification: Add tracking parameters to links
• Form Processing: Parse form submissions sent as query strings
• API Integrations: Build query strings for external API calls
• Analytics: Extract and analyze URL parameters
• Deep Linking: Parse and handle deep link parameters

Best Practices

1. Handle arrays: Some parameters may have multiple values
2. Encode properly: Let the API handle encoding special characters
3. Validate values: Sanitize parameter values before using them
4. Preserve order: If order matters, use the sorted option carefully