URL is one of the words you often see on the web. URL is used as a basic phrase, but many people may not be familiar with the difference between URL and similar phrases, or the mechanism by which web pages are displayed.
In this article, we will explain the meaning and overview of URLs, as well as words and phrases related to URLs. If you want to know about URLs and related words, please refer to this article.
What is a URL?
URL is an abbreviation for Uniform Resource Locator, and is used as an “address” to indicate where a website page is located. A huge amount of information is scattered on the Internet, and in order to find the information you are looking for, you need to locate the information using URLs.
A URL starts with “http://” or “https://”, followed by
the domain
name (name of the website).
Difference and relationship between URL and domain
The domain is part of the URL and refers to the name of your website. A URL, on the other hand, is the entire address of a website, including the domain name. When using actual addresses as an example, there are the following differences:
URL (full address): 1-1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Domain name (place name): Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
*Chiyoda 1-1 refers to the page on the website
What is the difference between URL and IP address?
An IP
address
(Internet Protocol address) is a number owned by each device on the Internet. It is used to identify devices such as computers, smartphones, and tablets when exchanging information on the Internet. There is a clear difference from a URL that indicates the location of a website.
Correct format of URL
A URL is divided into several parts, such as “scheme”, “host name”, “path”, and “query parameters”. The correct format for the URL is as follows:
Sample URL: https://www.example.com/search?q=hello
Scheme: https
Hostname: www.example.com
Path: /search
Query parameter: ?q=hello
Including the above elements allows you to indicate the location of detailed pages on your website.
How web pages are displayed
A web page is displayed using the URL as shown below.
1. User enters a URL in the browser’s address bar
2. The browser connects to
the server
at that URL and requests data
3. The server receives this request and sends the response back to the browser
4. The browser reads these data and displays the website
The server contains data such as
HTML
,
CSS
, and
JavaScript
, which are the elements that make up a website, and the browser reads and displays the data received from the server.
A URL is required when requesting website information from a server. The specific file or information specified by the URL is sent from the server to the browser so that the user can view the exact web page or file.
Frequently asked questions about URLs
Frequently asked questions regarding URLs are listed below.
Q.What is a shortened URL?
Q.Are URLs only used on the Internet?
Q.Can I delete the URL?
I will explain each in detail.
What is a shortened URL?
As the name suggests, a shortened URL is a URL that is a shorter version of the original URL. Shortened URLs were developed because long URLs look cluttered and are often difficult to copy and paste.
A shortened URL is a shortened version of a long original URL, and when you enter the URL, it redirects you to the original long URL.
It is often used especially when there is a limit on the number of characters or space, such as posting on social media, sharing
links
via
SMS
, and writing URLs on printed materials. However, as long as the URL is shortened, there are cases where it can be misused by fake sites for phishing scams, so you need to be careful.
Are URLs only used on the Internet?
URLs are used on the Internet. There is a word similar to URL, “URI”, which indicates an object or abstract concept that does not exist on the Internet, but basically both URL and URI are often used on the Internet.
Is it possible to delete the URL?
The URL itself points to the location of a specific resource on the web and cannot be deleted. However, website owners and administrators can delete the web page or file pointed to by a URL.
In other words, even if you can erase “house” itself, you cannot erase the concept of “address.” When you delete a particular page from your website, the URL for that page no longer exists.
You can also make the URL disappear from search
engine
results.
If the website administrator asks the search engine to “delete the URL from the index,” the URL will no longer be displayed in search results. You need to be careful because the way to deal with this differs depending on whether you want to delete the web page or remove it from search engine indexes.
Explanation of words related to URLs
The following four words are related to URLs:
I will explain each in detail.
What is a server?
A server is a computer that provides information and services on the Internet. The server operates 24 hours a day and is ready to respond to user requests at any time.
By using a URL and going through a server, you can access any information on the Internet. There are various types of servers. In addition to “web servers” that host websites, there are servers with different functions, such as “mail servers” that manage emails, and “database servers” that manage databases.
What is a network?
A network is a system in which multiple computers are connected and share data. Networks allow you to efficiently communicate, share, and manage information.
There are two basic types of networks: LAN (Local Area Network) and WAN (Wide Area Network).
A LAN is a network that connects computers within a limited area such as a home or office.
On the other hand, WAN refers to a computer network that covers a wider area than LAN, so the Internet can also be considered a WAN.
A URL is like a map that shows a specific location within a network, and it is a mechanism that allows you to reach the desired information by using the URL. By using networks, you can efficiently carry out various activities such as remote work,
online
learning, and e-commerce.
What is a host?
A host is a computer and its role that provides information on a network. In general, it often specifically refers to a server that stores website information and provides it to users via the Internet.
A host (server) stores content such as web page HTML files, images, and videos. When a user types a URL into a browser, a connection request is sent to the server corresponding to the URL’s host name, which plays an important role in displaying a web page.
The host is generally a high-performance computer with network connection and data processing capabilities that can handle connection requests from a large number of users.
What is a 301 redirect?
A 301 redirect is a process that automatically directs users from the old URL to the new URL when the URL of a web page changes. The number “301” is an HTTP status code that means “Moved Permanently.”
When you change the structure of your website or change the domain name, the previous URL will no longer be accessible as is, so users who bookmarked the URL or visitors from search engines will no longer be able to access the URL. Masu.
By setting up a 301 redirect, users will be automatically redirected to the new URL when they access the old URL, allowing them to access the new page as is.
301 redirects are also recognized by search engines and allow information from the previous URL to be carried over to the new URL. A 301 redirect means a permanent redirect, so “302” is used for temporary page moves.
Specific ways to use URLs
The specific ways to use URLs are as follows.
Link sharing and bookmarking are functions that make it easier to access specific pages using URLs. Also, by including keywords that describe the content of the page in the URL, it helps search engines understand the content of the page, which has the advantage of making it easier to rank higher on search engines. The shortened URLs and 301 redirects explained in the previous section are also examples of using URLs.
summary
In this article, we explained the meaning and overview of URLs, the mechanism by which web pages are displayed, and words and phrases related to URLs. URLs are basic words when using the Internet, so they must be understood correctly.
Also, since there are many similar words in URLs, it is important to distinguish them and memorize them. Please use this article for your studies and web creation.