by Wendy Connick

Created on: May 31, 2008   Last Updated: October 02, 2010

The URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, is the address for a particular file or web page. Each URL has components that help your computer find the page that you're looking for, whether that file is located right around the corner or on a server in Timbuktu. Let's start by looking at the components of a sample URL:

http://www.company.com/items/article1.asp

Working our way from left to right, the first part of the url is:

http://

This portion tells your computer what method to use when connecting with the desired server. Most websites, including this sample one, use HyperText Transfer Protocol, or http for short. Typing the correct protocol for the website you want helps your computer and the server hosting the website to literally speak the same language. Other protocols you might see listed in a URL include https (an encrypted version of http that is used for secure sites, such as ecommerce sites), ftp, and telnet. If you enter a URL and don't type in a protocol, the computer will use http by default.

The next part of the URL provides the location of the file's host site:

www.company.com

The "www" portion indicates that this site is located on the World Wide Web. It's the most common prefix to a host name and if you don't enter a host prefix, your browser will use www by default. If the prefix is anything other than www, it usually indicates that the webpage or file is located in a subdomain: a domain within a domain. Webmasters often set up subdomains when they want to promote a portion of their site as distinct from the rest. For example, your company blog might be located at the subdomain "blog.company.com."

The middle portion of the host, the domain name ("company"in the above example), tells your computer who is hosting the file you want. In order for a file to be available on the World Wide Web, someone has to put it on a computer, generally a specialized type of computer called a server, and hook the computer to an internet connection. Your computer can look up the domain name and use it to track down the server storing your desired file, much as a street address helps you to find your friend's house in the real world.

The last portion of the host name (.com in our example) is the root domain. It indicates what type of organization is hosting the site. Commercial websites will use .com or .net, or occasionally .biz; schools will often use .edu; non-profit websites are typically found at .org; and state and federal websites use .gov.

Now that your browser

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