Chapter 07: URL Structure

In this chapter, we’ll focus on the full structure of a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and the rules associated with it. A URL is a specific type of URI that uniquely defines where a resource is located and how to access it. It consists of several components, as illustrated in the following diagram.

These terms are used in different contexts. A common example is the term authority, which represents a combination of host + port. The term host is very broad, but in the context of REST APIs it usually refers to a specific domain name. Developers also colloquially use the general term endpoint. This refers to a combination of a URL and an HTTP method, which together form the basis of API routing.