URL

Full Title or Meme

The Universal Resource Locator was created as a human-readable name to allow look-up of the actual address of a network attached computer in a Domain Name System which was a single rooted directory.

Context

• What was actually defined was a hodge-podge of information that no normal human could every understand. It now includes:

1. A schema, which most people call a protocol. For a web site this will be HTTP: or, better yet, for secure sites HTTPS:
2. The host name which can be a long string of uncertain meaning; not just IBM.COM but also:
   1. TK
3. The port number which can be used to extend the number of Endpoints that one computer can host. for the web defaults are: 80 or 443.
4. A "fragment" which is can be a query or a pointer to a document.

• Originally all URLs were written in ASCII characters. As might be expected some countries want different character sets to correspond to their local language.

Problem

It has been recognized for many years that URLs are poor substitutes for Web Site Identifiers. Yet no one has found a such a substitute.

Solution

A good solution is still being sought; here are some ideas:

• Legal Names
• Brand Names
• Domain Name as described in the Web Authentication specification.

References

External Sources

• RFC 8615 (formerly RFC 5785), which talks about the use of fixed URIs, thus:

  When this happens, one solution is to designate a "well-known
  location" for data or services related to the origin overall, so that
  it can be easily located.  However, this approach has the drawback of
  risking collisions, both with other such designated "well-known
  locations" and with resources that the origin has created (or wishes
  to create).  Furthermore, defining well-known locations usurps the
  origin's control over its own URI space [RFC7320].

• also recommend reading RFC 7320.
• Living URL The URL Standard defines URLs, domains, IP addresses, the application/x-www-form-urlencoded format, and their API.