Do you know what a “URL” is? It’s also called a “website address.” Have you heard of a “URI”? It is like a URL, but it has another meaning. Let’s find out the difference between them!
URI(Uniform Resource Identifier)
Uniform means the same. Resources are things that we can find on the internet. An identifier is something that tells us one thing from another. A URI is a special string of words that helps us identify resources on the internet.
– ‘Uniform’ refers to a unified way of identifying resources.
– Resource refers to all types of resources that can be identified by URI(including web browser files and other resources).
– Identifier is the information needed to distinguish one item from another.
In short, URI is a unique string sequence that identifies resources on the internet.
URL(Uniform Resource Locator)
URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, a convention for representing the “location” of a unified resource on a network. In other words, it shows both the resource identifier and its location.
Website address + resources on a computer network
URL is a notation that represents not only the website address but also the resources on a computer network. To make it easier to explain, to access a specific web page, you need to know not only the website address but also the protocol (https, http, sftp, smp, etc.). These are all represented by URLs!
Differences between URI and URL
| URI = Identifier, URL = Identifier + Location
“elancer.co.kr” is a URI, as it only displays the resource’s name. By contrast, https://elancer.co.kr is a URL, as it not only displays the name but also provides information on how to access the location (including the ‘https’ protocol).
Let’s summarize the differences between URI and URL one by one.
01 | URL is a kind of URI:
“A URL is a URI, but not all URIs are URLs.”
URI is a more comprehensive concept, and URL is included in it.
02 | URL is combined with a protocol:
https://www.elancer.co.kr > URL
URL must be in the form of protocol + name(or number) because it includes how to find the location and access it.
URI can be a name itself:
elancer.co.kr > URI
https://www.elancer.co.kr > URL, URI
URI can be the name itself (elancer.co.kr) or in the form of a name + location (https://www.elancer.co.kr).
As explained in point 1, the URL that represents the identifier + location is a type of URI. If you’re still having trouble understanding, examining the structure of a URL in detail might help!
URI and URL Structure
To access a resource, there are three main parts. The first part is called the Scheme and it tells how to connect. On the web, it usually uses http or https. The second part is called the Host, this is the name of where you want to go. Lastly, there’s Path which gives more details about where you’re going and what you’re looking for. Path can also be called URN.
URI, URL, and URN Comparison
– Scheme: The protocol used to access the resource. In the web, it uses http or https.
– Host: The host name of the target (server) to be accessed.
– Path: Detailed information about the target (server) path.
These can be divided into three main parts. The Path part is also called URN.
| Note | URN (Uniform Resource Name)
URN is a name given to each resource, regardless of its location, protocol, or host. In other words, while URL points to a web document on a specific server, URN represents the web document itself, regardless of its physical location.
When a resource is assigned an identifier, the URN remains constant, and the resource’s location, protocol, and host can be identified regardless of their positions.
For example, even if the physical location of a web document changes due to moving to another web server or changing its address, the document can still be found. To help you understand, let’s examine an example from the Elancer blog page:
Suppose you want to access a post titled “Web Designer vs. Web Developer: Who Should You Hire?” on the Elancer blog.
In this case, the URN, which is the unique name of the document, would be “blog/web-designer-web-developer/”.
The URL, which includes the URN, would be https://www.elancerglobal.com/blog/blog/web-designer-web-developer/, incorporating the protocol(http or https) and the page address. You need to know this URL to navigate to the correct page!
History of the URL
1994: Birth of the URL
The URL, used to connect the web and communicate online, is now used almost daily in human life. The URL was born in 1994, invented by Tim Berners-Lee, known as the founder of the World Wide Web (WWW).
2002: Invention of URL Shortening Services
However, the URLs used by many companies today differ from the original, lengthy URLs. Long and cumbersome URLs can cause various problems, such as human errors or error messages. Efforts to simplify and make URLs user-friendly have been ongoing, and in 2002, Kevin Gilbertson created the first URL shortening service, TinyURL. Now, several URL-shortening services, including Bitly, have emerged.
Today’s Trend: “Shortening Services”
URL shortening services are quite commonly used today. There are several situations where URL shortening is needed. In the case of social media platforms like Twitter, which have a 140-character limit, you cannot use endlessly long URLs when sharing links. Therefore, URL shortening became essential. Twitter eventually adopted TinyURL’s service to automatically convert long URLs for user convenience!
Additionally, companies use URL shortening services for marketing purposes.
– Providing Intuitive URLs for Branding
– Offering simple, easy-to-remember URLs to enhance customer (user) experience
Since its inception in 1994, the URL has continued to evolve alongside the development of the digital age.
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In conclusion, embracing both URI and URL technologies is the key to successful implementation within any business. With such a seemingly complex technical undertaking, consider an expert partnership with Elancer to educate yourself on the benefits of these technologies.