Networking & Internet
URL
Definition
A Uniform Resource Locator (URL), colloquially termed a web address, is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it.
Why It Matters
URLs provide a standard and predictable way to locate and access any resource on the web, from a webpage or image to an API endpoint.
Contextual Example
In the URL `https://www.example.com/path/to/page?query=1#section`, `https` is the protocol, `www.example.com` is the domain name, `/path/to/page` is the path, `?query=1` is a query string, and `#section` is a fragment identifier.
Common Misunderstandings
- A URL is a specific type of URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), although the two terms are often used interchangeably.
- The different parts of a URL provide information to the web server about what specific resource is being requested.