What is a URL? Let's Get to Know Its Functions and Parts!

As internet users, most of you may not fully understand what a URL is, even though you use it regularly in your daily life. In short, a URL can be considered as a website address. But, is that really the case?

To understand what a 'URL' is, you should first know its definition, function, and its parts. This article will discuss these things briefly. So, the best advice for you is not to skip it!

What is the Definition of URL?

URL, three letters that stand for Uniform Resource Locator. Because 'locator' indicates a location, it can be understood that a URL is an 'address' to indicate a source, such as an HTML page, CSS document, image, and others.

Like any other 'address', a URL can indicate that the targeted source no longer exists or has moved to another address. So, who handles the URL, its changes, and movements? Of course, the website server owner.

Function of URL

Since a URL is an 'address', in short, its function is as a pointer. But, are there more specific functions? Yes, the answers are in the following explanation points:

1. It serves as the address of documents on a website page.
2. It refers to and stores files on a website page.
3. It identifies various file formats.
4. It helps users remember the accessed website pages easily.
5.  

So, that's the function of a URL. From these points, it can also be concluded that a URL is an attribute or identity attached to documents available on the internet, specifically websites.

Parts of a URL

A URL has its own parts or anatomy. If a home address consists of street name, house number, neighborhood, district, city, postal code, province, and country, it differs from a URL. The anatomy of a URL looks like this:

http://www.example.com:80/path/to/myfile.html?key1=value1&key2=value2#SomewhereInTheDocument 

In this address sequence, there are parts with their respective names. There are scheme, domain name & port (authority), path to resource, parameter, and anchor. Further explanations are in the following points:

Scheme

http://www.example.com:80/path/to/myfile.html?key1=value1&key2=value2#SomewhereInTheDocument

The first part is the network communication protocol that the browser must use to request the source. The protocol itself is a set method for exchanging or transferring data within a computer network.

Authority

http://www.example.com:80/path/to/myfile.html?key1=value1&key2=value2#SomewhereInTheDocument

Between the scheme and authority parts, there will be a separator which is ://. Then it continues with the subdomain - www, then connects to the domain - example, domain extension - .com, separated by : and continues to the port - 80.

Domain

The domain or www.example.com containing subdomain and extension indicates which website server is requested. Besides the domain name, many URLs use IP addresses more often.

A subdomain is a word or phrase that appears before the first dot in the URL. The www itself is the most commonly used subdomain by website owners.

Then, the domain extension is the ending that follows the source or site name. Usually, around 53% of domain extensions used are .com. The rest? They follow various domain extension types as follows:

Generic TLD or gTLD, such as .com, .net, .org.

Country Code TLD or ccTLD, such as .id, .sg, and .uk.

Sponsored TLD or sTLD, such as .asia and .travel.

New gTLD or nTLD, such as .online, .tech, and .store.

Port

The port is a technical 'gateway' indicator used to access resources on a website server. Usually, the number 80 is used for the http protocol, and 443 for https.

Path to Resource

http://www.example.com:80/path/to/myfile.html?key1=value1&key2=value2#SomewhereInTheDocument

In the URL parts, this part is the path to the source or a specific location representation (referring to a page, post, or file) on the website server. It can be said that this is the folder structure on the website.

Parameter

http://www.example.com:80/path/to/myfile.html?key1=value1&key2=value2#SomewhereInTheDocument

This is an additional parameter provided to the website server. In short, a parameter is a list of key-value pairs separated by symbols & and =. Regarding the function of parameters, here are some of them:

Translation Parameter

Having a country code in the query string translates the website page into the related language.

Search Parameter

Provides search results from the internal search engine on the website.

Filtering Parameter

Separates different fields, such as topics, types, colors, price ranges, regions, and others.

Pagination Parameter

Very useful for online store websites, as it allows site owners to sort content.

Tracking Parameter

Generally contains the 'urchin tracking module' code as a tracker for ad traffic and marketing campaigns.

Anchor

http://www.example.com:80/path/to/myfile.html?key1=value1&key2=value2#SomewhereInTheDocument

This is an anchor to another part within the source or the site itself. An anchor is a kind of 'bookmark' in the source, providing browsers with guidance on displaying content at the marked location.

So, that's the anatomy or parts of a URL. You should know that the mentioned parts above are not always present in a URL address. Usually, only the domain name or followed by the path to the resource.

Common Questions About URL

When understanding URLs, there are common questions that arise out of curiosity. What are the common questions about URLs? Here are the answers:

Where is the URL Located in the Browser?

Generally, you can find the URL in the address bar or the top section of the browser. This applies to any browser, whether on a mobile phone, computer, or laptop.

What are the Types of URLs?

Another common question about URLs is about their types. So, the most popular types of URLs are relative and absolute. But there are more types based on their functions, such as canonical URLs, callback URLs, and vanity URLs.

How to Open a URL?

If you know the complete URL of a website, all you need to do is type it in the browser's address bar. Other ways include clicking hyperlinks, scanning QR codes, and copy-pasting.

How to Create a URL?

To create a URL, you need to find a website hosting service. There, you can place orders and register the website domain.

Those are the common questions about URLs. Do you have any questions about the best hosting recommendations for creating URLs? If yes, then don't miss this last section!

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