URL (Uniform Resource Locator)
A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a name for a resource on the Internet.
A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) has this general syntax:
scheme:[//host.domain[:port][/path][/filename]][newsgroup][email address]
where scheme is a protocol used in network communication. Here are the popular protocols:
| Protocol | Explanation |
|---|---|
| file | file on your local system, or a file on an anonymous FTP server |
| ftp | a file on an anonymous FTP server |
| http | a resource on a World Wide Web server |
| gopher | a resource on a Gopher server |
| WAIS | a resource on a WAIS server |
| news | an Usenet newsgroup |
| telnet | a connection to a telnet-based service |
| mailto | a link for sending electronic mail |
Examples:
| URL | Example |
|---|---|
| http://www.systembus.com/document/network port.htm | Shows the URL to a Web site, www.systembus.com, to the the resource in the directory document, file Network port.htm |
| ftp://ftp.commonbus.com/ | Links to an FTP site, ftp.commonbus.com, to its top-level directory. |
| mailto:tendom@hotmail.com | Links you to a session in your Web browser set up for sending electronic mail to tendom@hotmail.com |
| news:alt.fan.letterman | Links to a Usenet newsgroup, alt.fan.letterman |