Difference Between URL and Domain

When it comes to building your site, there comes a series of technical terms and concepts that will blow your mind at first. It becomes too difficult to remember them, understand them, differentiate between them and in turn, confusing you if they are needed for your website’s success or not.

Internet is a tricky place, and before you go up there, you need to make sure that you are way ahead on the front of understanding concepts or else you will end up under or overdoing certain things which you might regret about in the future.

Two such concepts or terms to understand are URL and Domain. Most people tend to use both the terms interchangeably, and that is not right. There are some considerable differences between the two. We will try to explain to you the differences between URL and Domain name in this article.

What is the URL?

You can access any website by typing the web address inside the web browser. Every web page on the internet has a unique name known as the URL. The browser reads the URL and extracts the desired information to obtain the copy of the requested page. The URL format can be perceived as a map of your website, which directs you right through different pages and subpages of your website.

Here are the main elements of an URL:

a. Method

It states the protocol used by the website that is, https, Http, FTP, and so on.

b. Hostname string

It states the domain name or IP address of the computer from which the information or web pages are accessed.

c. Port number

The port through which your website is accessed. The most popular port number is 80, but if its anything else, this helps you figure it out.

d. Path

Path of the files on the server from where the web pages are accessed.

What do you understand by domain name?

Domain names seem to be simple sometimes, but that is not the case, especially if you are starting on the internet. They make your website accessible to you and your visitors.

A domain name is simply an address that you type in the address bar of your web browser to access a website. For example, the domain name for Google is google.com. It is just like your name. If your friend wants to call you out, he will call you by your name. Similarly, whenever you wish to access any website, you have to call it using the domain name.

Domain names are a crucial part of your online presence, and it should be memorable so that they can be easily remembered and accessed by your visitors.

Basic differences between URL and domain name

URL helps you locate the exact website or a page on that website and hence known as a complete internet address. It provides all the information required for your web browser to recognize and display the page. A domain name, on the other hand, is a simpler form of URL that is used in place of a technical IP address.

A domain name is a part of URL, and if you search it on google, you will find yourself searching for the web page in the search results. URL is a complete pathway and provides direct access to the webpage you need to see. 

Final words

It is essential to know such differences even if deep down, you don’t feel the need to understand every bit of your website online. When you see the nitty-gritty of the subject you are working on, you find yourself more confident about the subject. Similarly, when it comes to web hosting, be it Shared Linux Hosting or Cloud Hosting, these differences will play a significant role. You will see yourself troubleshooting your website for minor issues rather than trying to connect with the support team for every small error you get on the hosting server.