Link vs. URL — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman — Updated on September 25, 2023
A "Link" refers to a reference or connection between two points or objects, often interactive in digital environments. A "URL" is the specific address used to access resources on the internet.
Difference Between Link and URL
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A "Link," in digital context, is essentially an element that users interact with to navigate or access specific content or resources within or outside a document or webpage. It acts as a connector, serving as a bridge that facilitates the flow of information and navigation between different locations, documents, or webpages. "Link" enables users to traverse the vast expanse of information available, allowing for a seamless and efficient browsing experience, enabling quick access to desired content or destinations on the web.
On the other hand, a "URL," which stands for Uniform Resource Locator, is a specific sequence of characters that constitutes the address of a resource on the internet. A "URL" is the technical means by which resources are located and accessed on the web. It functions as the identifier and locator of content, providing the pathway through which users can reach specific online destinations, retrieve data, or utilize online resources, and is an essential component of web navigation.
While a "Link" serves as the interactive element that users engage with to navigate to different destinations, the "URL" is the actual address that the link points to. A "Link" could be text, an image, or another type of web element that users can click on, and the "URL" is the precise location that is reached when the link is activated. Thus, the "Link" is the means of interaction, and the "URL" is the definitive address that leads to a specific online destination.
"Link" and "URL" are both fundamental elements in the architecture of the web, contributing to the accessibility, navigability, and user-friendliness of online environments. They complement each other, with links serving as the conduits through which users navigate, and URLs acting as the specific addresses that guide users to their desired locations, together facilitating the efficient exploration and utilization of the vast resources available online.
In digital communication and web development, understanding the distinct roles and functions of a "Link" and a "URL" is pivotal. The interaction with a "Link" initiates the navigation process, making content reachable and accessible, while a "URL" acts as the pinpointed address, enabling the exact location and retrieval of online resources, forming the backbone of web navigation and information retrieval systems.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A connection between two points or objects.
A specific address used to access resources on the internet.
Function
Serves as an interactive element for navigation.
Acts as the identifier and locator of online content.
Interaction
Users engage with links to navigate to different destinations.
URLs are the addresses that links point to.
Representation
Could be text, image, or other web elements.
Represented as a sequence of characters.
Application
Used for quick access to desired content or destinations.
Essential for locating and retrieving online resources.
Compare with Definitions
Link
In computing, an element enabling users to navigate from one place to another.
The website's navigation menu had several links.
Url
A string of characters used to locate and retrieve resources online.
Make sure to type the correct URL to avoid phishing sites.
Link
Something that enables communication or interaction.
The interpreter served as a linguistic link between the two leaders.
Url
An identifier used to access information on the World Wide Web.
The website's URL is easy to remember.
Link
One of the rings or loops forming a chain.
Url
The specific address of a page or resource on the internet.
Enter the URL in the web browser to visit the site.
Link
A unit in a connected series of units
Links of sausage.
One link in a molecular chain.
Url
A locator of content on the internet.
Each webpage has its unique URL.
Link
A unit in a transportation or communications system.
Url
The pathway through which online destinations are reached.
I bookmarked the URL for future reference.
Link
A connecting element; a tie or bond
Grandparents, our link with the past.
Url
An internet address (for example, http://www.hmhco.com/about-hmh), usually consisting of the access protocol (http), the domain name (hmhco.com), and optionally the path to a file or resource residing on the server where the domain name resides (about-hmh).
Link
An association; a relationship
The Alumnae Association is my link to the school's present administration.
Url
The address of a web page on the world wide web
Link
A causal, parallel, or reciprocal relationship; a correlation
Researchers have detected a link between smoking and heart disease.
Link
A cufflink.
Link
A unit of length used in surveying, equal to 0.01 chain, 7.92 inches, or about 20.12 centimeters.
Link
A rod or lever transmitting motion in a machine.
Link
(Computers)A graphical item or segment of text in a webpage or other electronic document that, when clicked, causes another webpage or section of the same webpage to be displayed
That newspaper's homepage includes links to numerous government resources. Also called hotlink, hyperlink.
Link
A torch formerly used for lighting one's way in the streets.
Link
To put together physically, as with links
Linked the rings to form a chain.
Link
To connect, relate, or associate
Linked the suspect to the crime.
Link
To make or have a link to (another webpage or electronic document)
The blog links important news stories from across the web.
Link
To make a link in (a webpage or electronic document)
The teacher linked the class website to an online map.
Link
To be or become joined together physically
The molecules linked to form a polymer.
Link
To be or become connected, related, or associated
Their business has linked up with ours.
Link
To make or have a link to a webpage or electronic document
The shocking news story was linked to by many blogs. The article linked to photos of the damage.
Link
To follow a link in a webpage or electronic document
With a click of the mouse, I linked to the museum's website.
Link
A connection between places, people, events, things, or ideas.
The mayor’s assistant serves as the link to the media.
Link
One element of a chain or other connected series.
The third link of the silver chain needs to be resoldered.
The weakest link.
Link
Abbreviation of hyperlink
The link on the page points to the sports scores.
Link
(computing) The connection between buses or systems.
A by-N-link is composed of N lanes.
Link
(mathematics) A space comprising one or more disjoint knots.
Link
(Sussex) a thin wild bank of land splitting two cultivated patches and often linking two hills.
Link
(figurative) an individual person or element in a system
Link
Anything doubled and closed like a link of a chain.
Link
A sausage that is not a patty.
Link
(kinematics) Any one of the several elementary pieces of a mechanism, such as the fixed frame, or a rod, wheel, mass of confined liquid, etc., by which relative motion of other parts is produced and constrained.
Link
(engineering) Any intermediate rod or piece for transmitting force or motion, especially a short connecting rod with a bearing at each end; specifically (in steam engines) the slotted bar, or connecting piece, to the opposite ends of which the eccentric rods are jointed, and by means of which the movement of the valve is varied, in a link motion.
Link
(surveying) The length of one joint of Gunter's chain, being the hundredth part of it, or 7.92 inches, the chain being 66 feet in length.
Link
(chemistry) A bond of affinity, or a unit of valence between atoms; applied to a unit of chemical force or attraction.
Link
(in the plural) The windings of a river; the land along a winding stream.
Link
(broadcasting) An introductory cue.
Link
(obsolete) A torch, used to light dark streets.
Link
(transitive) To connect two or more things.
Link
To contain a hyperlink to another page.
My homepage links to my wife's.
Link
To supply (somebody) with a hyperlink; to direct by means of a link.
Haven't you seen his Web site? I'll link you to it.
Link
To post a hyperlink to.
Stop linking those unfunny comics all the time!
Link
(transitive) To demonstrate a correlation between two things.
Link
(compilation) To combine objects generated by a compiler into a single executable.
Link
To meet with someone.
Link
To skip or trip along smartly; to go quickly.
Link
A torch made of tow and pitch, or the like.
Link
A single ring or division of a chain.
Link
Hence: Anything, whether material or not, which binds together, or connects, separate things; a part of a connected series; a tie; a bond.
The link of brotherhood, by whichOne common Maker bound me to the kind.
And so by double links enchained themselves in lover's life.
Link
Anything doubled and closed like a link; as, a link of horsehair.
Link
Any one of the several elementary pieces of a mechanism, as the fixed frame, or a rod, wheel, mass of confined liquid, etc., by which relative motion of other parts is produced and constrained.
Link
Any intermediate rod or piece for transmitting force or motion, especially a short connecting rod with a bearing at each end; specifically (Steam Engine), the slotted bar, or connecting piece, to the opposite ends of which the eccentric rods are jointed, and by means of which the movement of the valve is varied, in a link motion.
Link
A bond of affinity, or a unit of valence between atoms; - applied to a unit of chemical force or attraction.
Link
Sausages; - because linked together.
Link
A hill or ridge, as a sand hill, or a wooded or turfy bank between cultivated fields, etc.
Link
A winding of a river; also, the ground along such a winding; a meander; - usually in pl.
The windings or "links" of the Forth above and below Stirling are extremely tortuous.
Link
Sand hills with the surrounding level or undulating land, such as occur along the seashore, a river bank, etc.
Golf may be played on any park or common, but its original home is the "links" or common land which is found by the seashore, where the short close tuft, the sandy subsoil, and the many natural obstacles in the shape of bents, whins, sand holes, and banks, supply the conditions which are essential to the proper pursuit of the game.
Link
Hence, any such piece of ground where golf is played; a golf course.
Link
To connect or unite with a link or as with a link; to join; to attach; to unite; to couple.
All the tribes and nations that composed it [the Roman Empire] were linked together, not only by the same laws and the same government, but by all the facilities of commodious intercourse, and of frequent communication.
Link
To be connected.
No one generation could link with the other.
Link
The means of connection between things linked in series
Link
A fastener that serves to join or link;
The walls are held together with metal links placed in the wet mortar during construction
Link
The state of being connected;
The connection between church and state is inescapable
Link
A connecting shape
Link
A unit of length equal to 1/100 of a chain
Link
(computing) an instruction that connects one part of a program or an element on a list to another program or list
Link
A channel for communication between groups;
He provided a liaison with the guerrillas
Link
A two-way radio communication system (usually microwave); part of a more extensive telecommunication network
Link
An interconnecting circuit between two or more locations for the purpose of transmitting and receiving data
Link
Make a logical or causal connection;
I cannot connect these two pieces of evidence in my mind
Colligate these facts
I cannot relate these events at all
Link
Connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces;
Can you connect the two loudspeakers?
Tie the ropes together
Link arms
Link
Be or become joined or united or linked;
The two streets connect to become a highway
Our paths joined
The travelers linked up again at the airport
Link
Link with or as with a yoke;
Yoke the oxen together
Link
A connection or association between two things.
The link between diet and health is well-established.
Link
In computing, an interactive reference to data that users can follow.
Click this link to access the article.
Link
A unit in a chain.
The chain link was broken.
Common Curiosities
Is every "URL" accessible to the public?
No, some "URLs" may be private or restricted and require authentication or permissions to access.
Is a "URL" always visible to the user?
No, "URLs" can be hidden behind clickable text, images, or other elements known as "Links."
Can a "Link" exist in non-digital forms?
Yes, "Link" as a concept can exist in non-digital forms representing connections or associations between two entities.
Can a "Link" point to multiple "URLs"?
Typically, a "Link" points to one "URL," but advanced techniques like scripting can create conditional or multiple destinations.
Can a "Link" exist without a "URL" in a digital environment?
No, in a digital environment, a "Link" typically points to a "URL," which is the address of the resource.
Can a "URL" contain special characters?
Yes, but special characters in a "URL" must be percent-encoded, transforming them into a format that can be transmitted over the internet.
Does a "URL" always start with "http://" or "https://"?
Most "URLs" start with "http://" or "https://," denoting the protocol, but other protocols like "ftp://" also exist.
Can a "Link" be broken?
Yes, a "Link" can be broken if it points to a "URL" that is unavailable or does not exist.
Can a "URL" change for the same webpage?
Yes, a "URL" can change due to website restructuring, renaming, or other modifications.
Does every "Link" represent a connection to a different website?
No, a "Link" can connect to different pages or resources within the same website or to external websites.
Is a "URL" case-sensitive?
"URL" paths are generally case-sensitive, but the domain part is not.
Can a "Link" be created to any kind of file or resource?
Yes, a "Link" can point to various resources like webpages, images, documents, or other file types.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
