Difference Between URL and Link

Let us begin by understanding what URL is.

URL

URL stands for uniform resource identifier. It can indicate the location of a web resource to access the web pages. The URL sends users to a definite resource online including video, webpage, or other resources. When you search for some query on Google, it will show the various URLs of the resource that are all associated with your search query. The URLs which are shown are the hyperlink to create the web pages.

A URL is placed in the address bar or search bar at the top of the browser window. The URL is continually visible in desktop computers and computers unless your browser is being shown in full screen.

In some smartphones and tablets, when you scroll down the page, the URL will dissolve and only display the domain when visible. It can show the address bar, you are required to scroll up the page and, if only the domain is displayed and you want to view the full address, tapping on the address bar to display the full address.

A URL can be introduced manually by typing it in the address bar of internet browser. If the URL does not include a valid server, a browser can shows a "Server not found" error and if the path in the URL is false, the browser can shows a "404 error".

Link

A link is an address that supports you access several servers and find websites and resources online. A link can be defined as a web address. A link is an HTML object that allows us to jump to a new area when it can click or tap it. Links are discovered on almost each webpage and provides a simple means of navigating among pages on the web.

Links can be connected to the text, images, or other HTML components. Most text links are blue because that is the standard color web browsers use to show links. However, links can be any color because the style of the link text can be customized using HTML or CSS styles.

Types of Links

There are two types of links which are as follows −

• Hard Links

  They are low-level links. It can connect more than one filename with a similar Inode and it can define the physical location of a file. When a hard link is generated for a file, it directly points to the Inode of the initial file in the disk space, which defines no new Inode is made.

• Soft Links

  Soft links are very common. It defines a virtual or abstract area of the file. It is only like the shortcuts generated in Windows. A soft link doesn't include any data or content of the linked file. Instead, it has a pointer to the area of the linked file. In other words, a new file is generated with a new Inode, having a pointer to the Inode area of the original file.