URL facts for kids

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is like an address for things on the internet. It tells your computer exactly where to find a resource, like a web page or a picture. Think of it as a street address for information online.

URLs are a special kind of Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). Many people use "URL" and "URI" to mean the same thing. You see URLs most often for web pages, starting with `http://` or `https://`. But they are also used for other things, like downloading files or sending emails.

Most web browsers show the URL of the page you are on. You can usually find it at the top of your screen in the address bar. A common URL might look like `http://www.example.com/index.html`. This URL shows the type of connection (`http`), the website's name (`www.example.com`), and the specific file (`index.html`).

What is a URL?

A URL is a way to point to a specific item on the internet. It helps your computer know where to go to get information. Every time you click a link or type a website address, you are using a URL.

How URLs Work

When you type a URL, your web browser uses it to find the right server. Then, it asks that server for the specific file or page you want. It's like telling a delivery service the exact address and what package to bring.

Parts of a URL

A URL has different parts that tell your computer what to do. Let's look at an example: `http://www.example.com/folder/page.html`

• Protocol: `http://` or `https://` tells your browser how to talk to the server. `HTTPS` means it's a secure connection.
• Domain Name: `www.example.com` is the name of the website or server. It's like the name of the building.
• Path: `/folder/page.html` shows the exact location of the file on that server. It's like the room number and file cabinet.

The Story of URLs

URLs were created in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee. He is the person who invented the World Wide Web. He worked with a group called the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) to make them.

The idea for URLs came from combining older systems. These included domain names, which were created in 1985. They also used the way computers organize files into folders and filenames using slashes.

Tim Berners-Lee later said he wished he had used slashes instead of dots to separate parts of the domain name. He also thought the two slashes after the protocol (like `http://`) were not really needed.

URLs for Everyone

People all over the world use the internet. They speak many different languages and use different alphabets. Because of this, URLs can now include characters from many languages. These are called Internationalized Resource Identifiers (IRIs).

All modern web browsers can understand IRIs. This means you can see website addresses in languages like Chinese or Japanese.

How International URLs Work

When you see a URL with special characters, your computer does a little trick.

• Domain Names: The website name part (like `例子.卷筒纸` in Chinese) gets changed into a special code called punycode. For example, `例子.卷筒纸` becomes `xn--fsqu00a.xn--3lr804guic/`. The `xn--` tells the computer it's a special character.
• Path Names: The part of the URL that shows the file's location (like `引き割り.html` in Japanese) also gets changed. It becomes a series of codes using percent signs, like `%E5%BC%95%E3%81%8D%E5%89%B2%E3%82%8A.html`.

Your computer does this conversion automatically. So, you can type or see URLs in your own language, and the internet still understands them.

Smart URLs: Protocol-Relative Links

Sometimes, you might see a URL that starts with `//` instead of `http://` or `https://`. These are called protocol-relative URLs.

If a URL is `//example.com`, it will use the same connection type (HTTP or HTTPS) as the page you are currently on. This is handy for websites that want to work securely when possible, but also work on older, non-secure connections if needed.

See also

In Spanish: Localizador de recursos uniforme para niños