In the Internet or in the computer sector, there is no shortage of technical terms and abbreviations. The word "URL" is often used in connection with Internet browsers and web addresses. The abbreviation stands for "Uniform Resource Locator" - but that alone probably won't help. In the following tipps + tricks article, we explain everything you need to know on the subject.
URL - What's that again?
The URL is usually understood to mean the standard formatting of an Internet address. This can then be entered as a path in the browser. Sounds complicated and unknown? Don't worry, you have probably done that before! Because a URL is basically nothing more than entering the address of a website. For example: https://www.heise.de/tipps-tricks. Each URL is unique so that only the path to the website you want is accessed.
Now you might be wondering what exactly is the difference between URL, web address and domain. It's relatively simple: URL actually only describes the format of the address. The domain and web address are basically the same. A website is clearly defined via a domain. As a rule, the domain is mainly the part that is between "www." and the ending like ".de" or ".com". In the example mentioned above, "https://www.heise.de/tipps-tricks" is the complete address, based on the URL format. "www.heise.de" is then the domain.
In addition to the common formats such as "https" / "http", there is also other content that a URL can open. A URL can also begin with "file", "ftp" or "mailto". With "file" the path of a specific file is called up. This file is then usually on your own computer, but can be opened via the browser. "Ftp" means access to an ftp client. These are servers. With "mailto" a protocol is called up with which you can write an email directly to the mentioned email address..
