← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

Splitting a URL into its parts

A URL splits into protocol (https), domain name (www.example.com) and web page or file name (shop/index.html). Each part can be labelled.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 5.1 The Internet and the World Wide Web — Module 11, ACARA Digital Technologies Years 9–10 — Networked Systems and Access Control — Module 29, WA Computer Science ATAR Year 11 — Network Communications — Module 58

Understanding Splitting a URL into its parts in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

What it does: https comes before :// and tells the browser which set of rules to use to fetch the page. Everything after the domain name, starting with the first single /, shows which page or file is wanted. The protocol must be followed by :// (a colon and two slashes). The wrong URL only has one slash. The second URL is missing the colon after https. It should be https:// so the protocol is clearly separated. Without https:// at the start there is no protocol part, so only two of the three parts can be labelled.

Common mistakes: The URL is written wrongly. The protocol must be followed by :// (colon and two slashes), so it should be https://www.ex.com/a.html. The domain name is only shop.com. The /buy.html part is the web page or file name, so the line should be Domain: shop.com.

Class: _____________________ · Name: _____________________ · Date: _________

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 464–476) and word search (Modules 464–489).

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Learning

Duo

In https://www.example.com/shop/index.html, which part is the protocol?

www.example.comhttps

Matches

https:/www.example.com/index.html

↓

The URL has only one slash after the protocol. It should be https:// with two slashes so the protocol is separated correctly from the domain name.

Applying

Meanings

Term

https://www.example.com/shop/index.html

Meaning

A URL splits into protocol (https), domain name (www.example.com) and web page or file name (shop/index.html). Each part can be labelled.

Practice

https://www.example.com/shop/index.html

Testing

Gaps

://www.example.com/shop/index.html

Check Answer

Spots

1URL: https:/www.ex.com/a.html

2Protocol: https

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Quick Questions

1. In https://www.example.com/shop/index.html, which part is the protocol?

A. www.example.com

B. https ✓

The protocol comes first, before ://. Here it is https. www.example.com is the domain name.

2. In https://www.example.com/shop/index.html, which part is the domain name?

A. www.example.com ✓

B. shop/index.html

The domain name sits between :// and the next /. shop/index.html is the web page or file name part.

3. In https://www.example.com/shop/index.html, which part is the web page or file name?

A. shop/index.html ✓

B. https://www

Everything after the domain name and its first / points to the page or file, here shop/index.html.

4. Which is the correct order of the parts of a full URL?

A. Domain name, protocol, web page or file name

B. Protocol, domain name, web page or file name ✓

A URL always starts with the protocol, then the domain name, then the page or file name.

5. The URL www.example.com/shop/index.html is missing which part?

A. The protocol ✓

B. The domain name

There is no https:// at the start, so the protocol is missing. The domain name and file name are still there.

Match the Pairs

https://www.example.com/shop/index.html → A full URL with all three parts: protocol (https), domain name (www.example.com) and web page or file name (shop/index.html)

www.example.com/shop/index.html → A URL with the protocol missing: only the domain name and the web page or file name are given

The protocol is the first part of a URL, written before :// → https

The web page or file name is the last part of the URL, after the domain name → /shop/index.html

https:/www.example.com/index.html → The URL has only one slash after the protocol. It should be https:// with two slashes so the protocol is separated correctly from the domain name.

https//www.example.com/index.html → The colon after the protocol is missing. It should be https:// so that the protocol is correctly separated from the domain name.

Key Term

https://www.example.com/shop/index.html

A URL splits into protocol (https), domain name (www.example.com) and web page or file name (shop/index.html). Each part can be labelled.

Fill in the Blanks

1. https://www.example.com/shop/index.html

Hint: Type the protocol, the first part of the URL, which shows the secure way the page is sent.

2. https://www.example.com/shop/index.html

Hint: Type the domain name, the part between the :// and the first slash.

3. https://www.example.com/shop/index.html

Hint: Type the web page or file name part that comes after the domain name.

4. https://www.example.com/index.html

Hint: Type the three characters that separate the protocol from the domain name.

5. protocol = "https" domain = "www.example.com" page = "shop/index.html"

Hint: Type the label for the URL part that names the website.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A URL: https:/www.ex.com/a.html

B Protocol: https

C Domain: www.ex.com

D File: a.html

Line A — The URL is written wrongly. The protocol must be followed by :// (colon and two slashes), so it should be https://www.ex.com/a.html.

Question 2

A URL: http://shop.com/buy.html

B Protocol: http

C Domain: shop.com/buy.html

D File: buy.html

Line C — The domain name is only shop.com. The /buy.html part is the web page or file name, so the line should be Domain: shop.com.

Question 3

A URL: https://uk.com/home.html

B Protocol: https

C Domain: uk.com

D File: uk.com

Line D — uk.com is the domain name, not the file name. The web page or file name is home.html, so the line should be File: home.html.

Question 4

A URL: https://www.ex.com

B Protocol: https

C Domain: https

D File: none given

Line C — https is the protocol, not the domain name. This URL has no file name, but the domain name is www.ex.com, so the line should be Domain: www.ex.com.

Question 5

A URL: https://www.ex.com/a.html

B Domain: www.ex.com

C File: a.html

D Protocol: https://

Line D — The protocol is just https. The :// is the separator between the protocol and the domain name, not part of the protocol. It should be Protocol: https.

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