What does "URL" stand for?

URL is an acronym that stands for "uniform resource locator." Its purpose is to give an exact web address for files and sites on the Internet.

The URL format was developed by Tim Berners-Lee and the Internet Engineering Taskforce in 1994 to create a more standardized system for accessing files and domains around the Internet. As of 2014, users can find the URL of a web page by looking at the top bar of most browsers. The URL often begins with a protocol such as http (hypertext transfer protocol), https (which is the same as http except that it includes a security layer to encrypt data), or ftp (file transfer protocol), which tells the browser how to access the information the user is looking for.