← IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

URL part: the protocol

The protocol at the start of a URL. It tells the browser which set of rules to use to fetch the page: http:// is unencrypted, https:// is secure. The :// separates it from the rest.

Part of: IGCSE Computer Science 0478 — 5.1 The Internet and the World Wide Web — Module 8

Understanding URL part: the protocol in IGCSE Computer Science Paper 1

What it does: The protocol https at the start of this URL tells the browser to use the secure rules before it looks at the domain name and file name. A colon then two forward slashes (://) come straight after the protocol name, for example http://. http:// is unencrypted. The s in https:// stands for secure, so the data is encrypted.

Common mistakes: The URL starts with https://, so the protocol is "https", not "http". The protocol is the part before ://. http:// is the unencrypted protocol, so the page is not secure. Only https:// is secure, so this should be secure = false.

Class: _____________________ · Name: _____________________ · Date: _________

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This module's key terms are also in a printable crossword (Modules 450–463) and word search (Modules 440–463).

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Learning

Duo

What does the protocol at the start of a URL tell the browser?

Which set of rules to use to fetch the pageWhich colour theme to use for the page

Matches

https:/www.example.com

↓

The separator is incomplete: it has only one forward slash. It should be :// so the protocol is clearly separated from the domain name.

Applying

Meanings

Term

https://

Meaning

The protocol at the start of a URL. It tells the browser which set of rules to use to fetch the page: http:// is unencrypted, https:// is secure. The :// separates it from the rest.

Practice

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

Testing

Gaps

://bank.example.com/login

Check Answer

Spots

1url = "https://bank.com/pay"

2protocol = "http"

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Quick Questions

1. What does the protocol at the start of a URL tell the browser?

A. Which colour theme to use for the page

B. Which set of rules to use to fetch the page ✓

The protocol (such as http:// or https://) names the rules the browser must follow when it fetches the page.

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

A. https ✓

B. www.example.com

The protocol comes first in the URL, before the :// separator. www.example.com is the domain name.

3. Which characters separate the protocol from the rest of the URL?

A. :// ✓

B. //:

A colon then two forward slashes (://) come straight after the protocol name, for example http://.

4. Which protocol in a URL means the page is sent without encryption?

A. https://

B. http:// ✓

http:// is unencrypted. The s in https:// stands for secure, so the data is encrypted.

5. Which URL starts with the secure protocol?

A. https://www.bank.com ✓

B. http://www.bank.com

https:// is the secure protocol. http:// does not encrypt the data.

Match the Pairs

http:// → Protocol that tells the browser to fetch the page using HyperText Transfer Protocol, with no encryption

https:// → Protocol that tells the browser to fetch the page using the secure, encrypted version of HTTP

The protocol at the start of a URL tells the browser which set of rules to use to fetch the page → https://www.example.com/index.html

The :// characters separate the protocol from the rest of the URL → http://

https:/www.example.com → The separator is incomplete: it has only one forward slash. It should be :// so the protocol is clearly separated from the domain name.

www.example.com/home.html → The protocol is missing from the start of the URL, so the browser is not told which set of rules to use. It needs http:// or https:// at the start.

Key Term

https://

The protocol at the start of a URL. It tells the browser which set of rules to use to fetch the page: http:// is unencrypted, https:// is secure. The :// separates it from the rest.

Fill in the Blanks

1. https://bank.example.com/login

Hint: Type the protocol that tells the browser to use the secure, encrypted set of rules.

2. http://www.example.com

Hint: Type the three characters that separate the protocol from the rest of the URL.

3. http://www.example.com/index.html

Hint: Type the protocol name for the unencrypted set of rules used to fetch a page.

4. https://shop.example.com/cart

Hint: Type the single letter that makes the protocol secure.

5. <a href="http://www.example.com">Visit</a>

Hint: Type the protocol at the start of this link's URL that does not encrypt data.

Spot the Error

Question 1

A url = "https://bank.com/pay"

B protocol = "http"

C secure = true

Line B — The URL starts with https://, so the protocol is "https", not "http". The protocol is the part before ://.

Question 2

A url = "http://school.com"

B protocol = "http"

C secure = true

Line C — http:// is the unencrypted protocol, so the page is not secure. Only https:// is secure, so this should be secure = false.

Question 3

A url = "https//shop.com/cart"

B protocol = "https"

C separator = "://"

Line A — The colon is missing. The protocol must be followed by the :// separator, so it should be https://shop.com/cart.

Question 4

A IF protocol = "https" THEN

B OUTPUT "Encrypted"

C ELSE OUTPUT "Encrypted"

D ENDIF

Line C — If the protocol is not https, the data is not encrypted. The ELSE branch should output "Not encrypted".

Question 5

A url = "http://news.com"

B parts = url.split("//:")

C print(parts[0])

Line B — The separator is :// not //:. Splitting on "//:" will not find it, so it should be url.split("://").

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