What is a URL?

What is a URL?

URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, and is used to specify addresses on the World Wide Web. A URL is the fundamental network identification for any resource connected to the Web (e.g., hypertext pages, graphical images, and sound files).

URLs have the following format:

protocol://hostname/other_information

As an example, the URL for this site is:

http://www.dewassoc.com/

The protocol specifies how information from the link is transferred. The protocol used for Web resources is HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP). Other protocols compatible with most Web browsers include Gopher, FTP, Telnet, and news. The protocol is followed by a colon, two slashes, and then the domain name. The domain name is the computer on which the resource is located. Links to particular files or subdirectories may be further specified after the domain name. The directory names are separated by single slashes.

For more information on URLs, see the Beginner’s Guide to URLs.

You can also find information about URLs at the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Naming and Addressing Overview.