Navigation
Breaking down the parts of a URL to understand how computers find specific locations on the web.
Imagine you had a magic key that could instantly transport you to any room in any building in the entire world. On the internet, that magic key is called a URL—but do you know how to read the secret map hidden inside it?
Every web address starts with a protocol. You usually see it written as https://. Think of the protocol as a 'digital handshake.' It tells your computer exactly how to talk to the website's computer so they can share information safely. The 's' in https stands for secure, which means the website uses a secret code to protect your data. Without this protocol, your browser wouldn't know which 'language' to use to fetch the pictures and games you want to see.
Quick Check
In the protocol 'https://', what does the 's' stand for?
Answer
The 's' stands for 'secure.'
The next part of the URL is the domain name. This is the unique name of the website, like google, roblox, or wikipedia. Just like your home has a street address, every computer on the internet has a number, but numbers are hard to remember! Humans use domain names because they are much easier to type. You can think of the domain name as the 'main entrance' to the website's digital building.
Look at this URL: `https://www.lego.com` 1. The protocol is https:// 2. The domain name is lego 3. This tells us the website belongs to the Lego company.
The very last part of the domain is the extension. This is the small code after the dot, like .com or .org. These extensions act like labels that tell you what kind of 'building' you are entering. - .com: Short for commercial (usually businesses or shops). - .org: Short for organization (usually non-profits like charities). - .edu: Short for educational (used by schools and universities). - .gov: Short for government (used by official government offices).
Quick Check
If you see a website ending in .edu, who most likely owns it?
Answer
A school, college, or university.
If you are researching tigers and find two websites: 1. `tigers.com` 2. `savetigers.org`
The first one is likely a store selling tiger toys, while the second is likely a charity working to protect real tigers in the wild.
Let's decode: `https://www.nasa.gov/kids/mars` 1. Protocol: `https://` (Secure handshake) 2. Domain: `nasa` (The owner) 3. Extension: `.gov` (It is an official government site) 4. Path: `/kids/mars` (The specific page about Mars for students)
Which part of `https://www.pbskids.org` is the domain name?
If you are looking for official information from the White House, which extension should you look for?
The 's' in 'https' means the website is slow.
Review Tomorrow
Tomorrow morning, try to remember the three main parts of a URL and what the extension '.org' stands for.
Practice Activity
Open a web browser and look at the address bar. Can you find the protocol, domain, and extension for your favorite game website?