What is the Difference between URL and IP address?

A URL (Uniform Resource Locator) and an IP (Internet Protocol) address are both used to locate resources on the internet, but they serve different purposes and operate at different levels of abstraction.

1. URL (Uniform Resource Locator):
   • A URL is a string of characters used to address a resource on the internet, such as a web page, file, or document.
   • It consists of several components, including the protocol (e.g., HTTP, HTTPS), domain name (e.g., www.example.com), path, and optional parameters.
   • URLs are human-readable and are designed to provide an easy-to-understand way to access resources on the web.
   • Example: www.example.com/page.html
2. IP Address (Internet Protocol Address):
   • An IP address is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.
   • It serves as a unique identifier for a device on a network, allowing data packets to be routed to and from that device.
   • There are two main types of IP addresses: IPv4 (e.g., 192.168.1.1) and IPv6 (e.g., 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:8a2e:0370:7334).
   • IP addresses are not human-readable and are primarily used by networking devices to identify and communicate with each other.