Term: URL [Uniform Resource Locator]

URL is an acronym for Uniform Resource Locator.

A URL is a way to specify a resource, such as a webpage, file or a service, on the internet. In what is by far the most common usage, a URL is simply the full web address of a webpage. For example, this page is identified by the URL

https://askleo.com/glossary/url/

A URL is made up of several components.

Protocol or “scheme”: the “language” used to exchange data for this specific type of resource.
Server or host: the computer (or computers) on the network that provide the resource.
Location or path: the location on the server containing the resource.
Name: the name of the resource to be accessed. (Technically considered part of the location.)
Parameters or query: additional information used to customize the resource, or to be included with the request for other purposes.
Anchor or fragment: additional information that indicates which portion of the resource should be accessed.

Many of the components are optional.

The most recognizable indicator of something being a URL is the “://” between the protocol and server. Using the terms above in brackets, a URL is constructed as follows:

Http and https are two examples of protocols, but you may also commonly see “ftp”, for File Transfer Protocol, and others.

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