Here we define the Uniform Resource Locator or URL.
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The URL aka domain name has made the globally connected computer system much more user-friendly and easier to navigate. Anyone using a modern web browser interacts with a domain name , often without realizing it, as many people refer to it simply as a website’s name or address. The URL has a rich history that has shaped the internet into the essential communication tool it is today.
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator. It serves as the global address for resources and documents on the World Wide Web. When you type a URL into a browser’s address bar, it directs you to the correct website. Each website resides on a server, which delivers the site to you upon request. The URL functions as a simple set of directions, guiding users to the exact location on the server. Think of the URL as a map—not for physical distance but for digital information.
How does a URL function?
The first part of any URL identifies the protocol used, which serves as a standard method for machines to communicate. The most common protocol is HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol), but others like FTP, NEWS, and HTTPS are also used. These protocols are followed by a colon and two slashes.
The main part of a URL specifies the hostname of the computer being accessed. While “WWW” is often used at the beginning of the hostname, it can be replaced with other words depending on the context. Many modern web servers no longer require “WWW,” which stands for World Wide Web, to connect to the host.
The end of a URL is called an extension, which indicates the type of institution associated with the webpage. For example, “.edu” represents educational websites, “.com” stands for companies, and “.gov” denotes government sites. Numerous extensions exist to represent various industries and countries. These extensions are also known as “top-level domains” and are essential for a URL to function. While the entire URL is often referred to as a domain, technically, the domain is only one component of the full URL.
After the extension, file names and directories may appear. These components help display files, access subdomains, load music, or perform other functions. For instance, if a website displays a picture, the picture’s file name often appears after the main URL. This applies to any type of data stored in the website’s directory, which users can access through the URL.
Although URLs are now a common part of web browsing, the internet wasn’t always accessed this way. In the past, websites were accessed using numerical addresses instead of names.
History of the URL
The URL evolved through a series of steps over nine years. Users of the ARPANET introduced domain names to help remember site locations, replacing the earlier method of relying on numerical addresses. The domain name system began slowly but became official in 1985. After adopting domain names, the URL syntax, with slashes separating different parts, became common. This structure allowed users to input information in an organized and logical way. Protocols were also in use during this time, enabling communication between different computers.
In 1994, the separate components of the URL were unified into a single format. As graphic-based web browsers like Internet Explorer and Netscape gained popularity, the URL became the standard method for accessing websites.
Current URL statistics
Updated – January 2025.
Total Internet Users Worldwide: 5.52 billion1
Total Number of Websites (aka URLs): 1.1 billion2
Emails sent daily in USA: 9.7 billion3
Google Searches: 8.5 billion4
24 Hour YouTube videos watched: 5 billion5
Total Facebook users: 3.7 billion6
Pinterest users: 537 million7
Daily Internet traffic in GB: 33 exabytes8
The World Wide Web is vast, consisting of millions of URLs. Each URL’s extension, known as a top-level domain, includes 250 country-specific domains, 21 generic domains, and the ARPA domain. Country domains represent specific nations, such as .US for the United States and .CA for Canada. Generic top-level domains include extensions like .COM, .NET, .BIZ, and .CO. By December 2011, 366,848,231 websites on the internet branched out from these top-level domains.
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) governs top-level domains. ICANN determines which domains are relevant, which should be added, and which need to be removed. Since all URLs require a top-level domain, ICANN plays a critical role in deciding which ones are used and maintained.
Future of the URL
As websites increasingly function as applications (or “apps”), some predict a decline in the use of URLs. In this vision of the future, users would navigate websites through search engines or preexisting apps rather than typing in web addresses. The popularity of mobile devices has accelerated this trend, as apps dominate on phones and tablets.
However, with nearly 400 million domains active on the web, the URL’s disappearance is far from imminent. In 2012 alone, domain name registrations spiked, with about 12 million new domains added. As more devices, including appliances like microwaves, gain IP addresses, it’s possible they will also acquire their own domain names—just as game consoles have in the past.
At the same time, more people around the world are becoming internet-savvy. As the web and computers integrate further into daily life, many individuals are learning about URLs and how to use them for the first time. This growing interest is driving more people to create their own websites, further increasing the number of domain names and URLs.
The Last Hurrah
The URL is here to stay. As a relatively new technology approaching its 19th year, the URL remains essential to the web’s functionality. Even if websites evolve into mobile apps, the URL will continue to operate behind the scenes. The web will always need a precise method for retrieving data from specific locations, and the URL fulfills this role efficiently and reliably.
Unless a simpler system emerges, the URL will remain the backbone of data retrieval. It serves as the web’s workhorse, connecting users to internet sites and enabling the sharing of information across humanity.
Sources:
- https://datareportal.com/global-digital-overview ↩︎
- https://www.digitalsilk.com/digital-trends/how-many-websites-are-there/#:~:text=As%20of%202024%2C%20there%20are,emerge%20every%20day%20is%20252%2C000. ↩︎
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/1270459/daily-emails-sent-by-country/ ↩︎
- https://seo.ai/blog/how-many-people-use-google#:~:text=How%20Many%20People%20Use%20Google%20a%20Day%3F,2%20trillion%20global%20searches%20annually. ↩︎
- https://www.comparitech.com/tv-streaming/youtube-statistics/#:~:text=YouTube%20users%20view%20a%20whopping,and%2013%20minutes%20in%202019). ↩︎
- https://www.demandsage.com/facebook-statistics/#:~:text=As%20of%202024%2C%20Facebook%20has,which%20has%20194.1%20million%20users. ↩︎
- https://www.statista.com/statistics/463353/pinterest-global-mau/#:~:text=Image%2Dbased%20platform%20Pinterest%20reached,compared%20to%20the%20previous%20quarter. ↩︎
- https://www.sandvine.com/blog/sandvines-2024-global-internet-phenomena-report-global-internet-usage-continues-to-grow#:~:text=Global%20traffic%20now%20over%2033,mobile%20networks%20around%20the%20world: ↩︎