Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a type of URI that uniquely identifies a resource according to its location. It is the most popular type of URI and is also known as a web address. These addresses are typically what a user will type into the address bar in an internet web browser, follow as a link on another web page or store as a bookmark.
Usage
A URL is a type of URI, which means that it is guaranteed to have a scheme and a path. Not all schemes are supported by all internet browsers. The most common schemes are HTTP and HTTPS.
Note
The FTP scheme was once accessible using browsers such as Chrome and Firefox. However, due to security concerns, it is no longer supported internally by Chrome, Firefox and several others.
Internally, the browser may change the address, which is usually visible in the browser’s address bar. For example, it might append a path or change the protocol to HTTPS from HTTP. In any case, the URL for the resource is still valid.
URLs that do not resolve will result in errors such as HTTP status code 404 Not Found.
Example
https://www.example.re
This URL points to a resource with scheme HTTPS, the authority specified as www.example.re, and no path. Typical of many web addresses, no user information or port are included. There is also no query to be processed and no fragment.
Note
When the URL has no path, most software will will default to / as path value.
Takeaway
A URL is also known as a web address and is commonly employed by end-users for reaching web-based resources such as web pages. A URL is a type of URI that uniquely identifies a resource based on its location on the web.