Definition: URL

(Uniform Resource Locator) The address that defines the route to a page or file on an Internet server (Web server, mail server, etc.). URLs are typed into a Web browser to access Web pages and files, and URLs are links embedded within the pages to other pages (see hypertext).

Downloading a Home Page
To access a website, only the protocol and domain name are required. For example, https://computerlanguage.com retrieves the home page of the Computer Language Company. HTTPS is the Web protocol, and COMPUTERLANGUAGE.COM is the domain name. Browsers default to the https:// prefix so only computerlanguage.com needs to be typed.

If a page is not the home page, its name must be in the address, and a slash separates it from the domain name. For example computerlanguage.com/about.php points to the About page (about.php file). See URL shortening.

Protocol, Port, Domain, Subdirectory, File
A URL contains: protocol (HTTPS), port number, domain name (i.e. apple.com, google.com), subdirectory and file name (Web page). The port number is generally implied; for example, HTTPS is port 443. See port 80 and TCP/IP port.

If a page is stored in a subdirectory (folder within a folder), its name is separated by a slash, and subdirectories can be several levels deep.

 Hypothetical URL to a 2023 Kia used car:

 https://car.com/used/2023kia.html

 This:          Is the:

 https://       protocol (port 443 implied)

 car.com/       domain

 used/          subdirectory

 2023kia.html   file name (Web page)

A URL or URI?
Technically, a URL is a type of uniform resource identifier (URI). Since most URIs are URLs, "URL" is the term more commonly heard. See URI.