What is a Website Address? Plain-English explanation

Short definition: A website address, also called a URL, is the complete address of a page on the web and typically combines a protocol such as https, a domain name, and a path that selects a specific page.

Plain-English explanation

A website address packs several pieces of information into one line. The protocol tells the browser how to connect securely, the domain name is resolved through DNS to find the right server, and the path picks the exact page on that server. Reading an address piece by piece is a practical skill: it helps you judge where a link really leads before you click it.

Why it matters

Understanding the parts of a website address helps you read links, spot misspellings and look-alike names, and diagnose what actually failed when a page does not load. A wrong protocol usually means a configuration problem, while a wrong domain name can mean the site itself no longer exists or the link was mistyped.

Concrete example

In https://info100.cc/articles, https is the protocol, info100.cc is the domain name, and /articles is the path that requests the articles listing from the site's server.

Common confusion

A website address is more than a domain name. People often say domain name when they mean the entire address, but the address also contains the protocol and the path. The same domain name can host many different pages, each with its own full address.

Related terms

DNS, Domain Name, IP Address, Server

How people actually use it

Users type website addresses directly into a browser's address bar or click on links to visit pages. Website owners use them to structure content and make resources accessible via search engines and social media.

Related terms explained

URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

A URL is the full address of a resource on the internet, including protocol, domain, path, and optional parameters. It is the technical term for what is commonly called a website address.

Example: https://example.com/about?page=1 is a URL with a query parameter.

Domain Name

A domain name is the human-readable part of a website address that identifies the server's location. It is registered and mapped to an IP address via DNS.

Example: In 'https://example.com', 'example.com' is the domain name.

Path

The path is the part of a website address that specifies a particular file or directory on the server. It follows the domain and typically ends with a resource name or extension.

Example: In 'https://example.com/images/logo.png', the path is '/images/logo.png'.

Query String

A query string is a set of key-value pairs appended to a URL after a question mark, used to pass data to the server. It is commonly used in search forms or for tracking parameters.

Example: In 'https://example.com/search?q=books', the query string is '?q=books'.

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More context

The Domain Name System (DNS) was introduced in 1983 to replace the need to remember numerical IP addresses. Top-level domains like .com, .org, and .net are managed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Websites can have multiple addresses (aliases) pointing to the same server, which is common for redirects or international versions.

Additional background

Website addresses were developed as part of the early internet to replace numeric IP addresses with memorable names. The first domain name was registered in 1985, and the system has expanded to include hundreds of top-level domains like .com, .org, and country-specific ones. The structure follows a hierarchy: the top-level domain (TLD) is the last part, the second-level domain is the main name, and subdomains can precede it. The protocol (http or https) is technically not part of the domain but is required for the browser to communicate. Modern browsers hide the protocol and sometimes the 'www' for simplicity, but the full address is still used for technical operations. Understanding the parts helps in diagnosing issues like broken links or phishing attempts, where the visible domain may be misleading. For example, an address like 'example.com.evil.com' has the domain 'evil.com' with a subdomain 'example.com'—a common trick. Always verify the domain directly before entering sensitive information.