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Technology

Domain vs URL: Understanding The Differences

When it comes to web domain and hosting services, it is important to understand the nuances. Two such concepts that often lead to confusion  are “domain name” and “URL”. Most beginners use these terms interchangeably since they are very closely related.

However, do not be mistaken; domain name and URL are two distinctive features of a website. Understanding the difference between these two concepts is important if you want to host a website.

Let us begin the discussion on domain vs URL!

Understanding Difference Between Domain and URL

Parameters Domain Name URL

Purpose

Providing easy-to-remember and simple names for locating the website. Providing a specific path of a website’s location on the internet to help users navigate with ease.

Structure

Consists of a second-level domain name and a top-level domain name. It consists of protocol, the domain name of the website, specific file paths, and query parameters.

Function

Makes the website accessible for humans without needing to remember the complex IP address. URLs serve the function of linking specific resources on the internet.

Registration

A domain name needs proper registration with a domain registrar. Website owners create URLs, which do not need to be registered.

User-Friendliness

Domain names are user-friendly and human-readable. URLs are often more complex than domain names.

Domain VS URL : What is Domain Name?

A domain name is a unique and relevant identity given to a website by its owner. It is a user-friendly and human-readable address of the site. When you want to search for a certain website, you can type in the domain name, and the website appears. It is essentially the identity of your website on the internet.

A domain name is broadly divided into two parts, the second-level domain and top-level domain. Here is a simple example for your better understanding.

Let’s say that your business or brand’s name is “rocketpants”. The website domain name that you chose to have is “www.rocketpants.com”.

In this domain name, “rocketpants” is the second-level domain, whereas “.com” is a top-level domain.

In order to choose an SLD, you must follow a set of rules. It should be short, creative and memorable. If rocketpants.com is a website that already exists, you will have to adjust wherever possible.

This means you can choose another TLD. There are multiple TLD options available on the internet, such as “.com”, “.au” (for Australia), “.in”, “.co”, “.art” and more.

Here, you can definitely use www.rocketpants.au. It is important for your domain name to represent your brand and business.

Domain VS URL: What is URL?

URL’s full form is Uniform Resource Locator. It is the complete web address which is used to locate a specific page or resource on the internet.

For example, if you want to locate the product page for “pants” on rocketpants.au, you can use a URL. Here it can be: https://www.rocketpants.au/productpage/pants. Here, https:// is the URL protocol, rocketpants.au is the domain name and /productpage/pants is the path to the specific page you need to locate on the internet.

Conclusion

While a domain name and URL are very closely related, they are not the same. They have different purposes, functions and structures, making them distinctive and unique.

Understanding the above domain vs URL difference is important for a person who wants to use the internet and its resources more effectively. We hope this blog helped you comprehend the nuance of these concepts.