Internet over Satellite

58. URL- address format.

A uniform resource locator, abbreviated URL (also known as web address, particularly when used with HTTP), is a specific character string that constitutes a reference to a resource. In most web browsers, the URL of a web page is displayed on top inside an address bar. An example of a typical URL would be "http://en.example.org/wiki/Main_Page". A URL is technically a type of uniform resource identifier (URI), but in many technical documents and verbal discussions, URL is often used as a synonym for URI, and this is not considered a problem. URLs are commonly used for web pages (http:), but can also be used for file transfer (ftp:), email (mailto:), telephone numbers (tel:) and many other applications.

Parts of the URL explained:

· protocol - Indicatates what protocol will be used to access the URL. Some common protocols include HTTP(Hyper Text Transfer Protocol) for transferring web content and FTP(File Transfer Protocol) for transferring files over a remote connection. The protocol is followed by ://

· domain or IP address - Specifies an IP address or domain where the resource is located such as www.landofcode.com or 10.1.1.1

· port - Specifies the port to use for the connection. It is usally omitted, as default ports are used for various protocols such as port 80 for HTTP.

· path - Specifies a subdirectory at the server where the resource is located. If the path is omitted, then the root directory at the server is checked for the resource.

· filename - The actual name of the resource. If the filename is omitted, then a default filename is used such as index.html for an HTTP connection.