Uniform resource identifier (URI) and URL: Difference between revisions

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* Which one of these does a URI NOT do:  
* Which one of these does a URI NOT do:  
** Enable easier access to resources
** Enable easier access to resources
** Provide excellent resources for linking between resources
** Provide excellent resources for linking between resources

Revision as of 13:52, 26 March 2017


Web Science[1]

Students will be expected to not only define, but also discuss the characteristics of URL and URI. Students will also be expected to describe the purpose of a URL.

Characteristics of a URL[edit]

A Uniform Resource Locator (URL), is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it. A URL is a specific type of Uniform Resource Identifier (URI).[2]

  • URL's have different parts. Every URL MUST have:
    • scheme and host
  • URL's have different parts. Every URL MIGHT have:
    • user information
    • port
    • query
    • fragment

Please click here for an example of these different parts. In your normal day-to-day use, you probably only use a scheme and a host.

Example of a URL[edit]

The following figure displays two example URIs and their component parts. [3]

                    hierarchical part
        ┌───────────────────┴─────────────────────┐
                    authority               path
        ┌───────────────┴───────────────┐┌───┴────┐
  abc://username:password@example.com:123/path/data?key=value&key2=value2#fragid1
  └┬┘   └───────┬───────┘ └────┬────┘ └┬┘           └─────────┬─────────┘ └──┬──┘
scheme  user information     host     port                  query         fragment

  urn:example:mammal:monotreme:echidna
  └┬┘ └──────────────┬───────────────┘
scheme              path

Purpose of a URL[edit]

A URL is a string of characters used to identify a resource. The purpose of a URL is to easily retrieve network resources. URL's also make linking to resources easier.

Do you understand this?[edit]

  • identify each part of this URI:
file:///Users/billdagjana/Desktop/
  • Which one of these does a URI NOT do:
    • Enable easier access to resources
    • Provide excellent resources for linking between resources
    • Allow you to more quickly download content
    • Provide a unified syntax to access remote resources

Standards[edit]

These standards are used from the IB Computer Science Subject Guide[4]

  • Identify the characteristics of a uniform resource identifier (URI) URL.
  • Describe the purpose of a URL.

References[edit]

  1. http://www.flaticon.com/
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/URL
  3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Resource_Identifier#Examples
  4. IB Diploma Programme Computer science guide (first examinations 2014). Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom: International Baccalaureate Organization. January 2012.