Why do some website addresses have "www", and some don't? And why do some work with or without the "www"?
Summary: The "www." in website addresses is now typically optional, but there was once a reason as to why they were required in URLs.
Why do some website addresses have "www", and some don't? And why do some work with or without the "www"?
Most of the time it's an oversight. Occasionally it's on purpose, but to be honest I haven't run across an "on purpose" in years.
It's common practice now that "www." is optional; mostly because it's redundant, and URL's are long enough without adding redundant information.
But once upon a time there was a reason.
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The original intent was that the "www" specified what you were trying to do, so you could be sent to the right computer to do that. Servers that were available for "World Wide Web" access used a "www" prefix. Servers that were available for "File Transfer Protocol" access used a "ftp" prefix. Even on the same base domain, www.example.com and ftp.example.com might well be completely different machines. The prefix was both a mnemonic device to help us remember what we're doing as well as a way to route us to the right server.
The question, of course, is what to do when no prefix is specified. The way internet names work, www.ask-leo.com and ask-leo.com are technically two different names and two different sites. As the owner of the base domain name ask-leo.com I needed to take a couple of extra steps to make them both behave the same way when you visit either with your browser.
Over time the web, and all those "www." servers became the predominant traffic on the internet, so more and more sites began to respond to references both with and without the "www.". As I said, it's become common practice, almost a pseudo-standard.
But unfortunately, "common practice" doesn't imply 100%.
Related:
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How Stuff Works - Why do some Web sites include www in the URL while others don't? - a related answer to the question.
Article C2019 - June 11, 2004
LEO HELP! Yes, this is my problem. I'm on my 23rd hour with still no cure. My website www.skyviewpix.com. I can access the home page but not the addtional pages unless I add www. befoer each url. ONLY THIS DAMN COMPUTER, no other computer does this. I did use this computer for FTP files to this acct. HOw do I fix it? PLEASE!
Posted by: Rick at August 24, 2005 1:12 AMi ws recently sent a web address to go to that was just a list of numbers: eg: 123.45.33.01 - but the page didn't open...what is this kind of address?
Posted by: shaaryn at March 25, 2006 3:05 PMThat's an IP address. All computers on the internet are REALLY identified by IP addresses. The text names you and I use, like "www.ask-leo.com" get converted to IP addresses in order to really locate the computer. Most of the time you don't need to know or care about this.
Try it: http://207.46.250.119 will take you to the same place http://www.microsoft.com does.
Posted by: Leo at March 25, 2006 3:27 PMman i am facing this same problem. i can't visit my website without using wwww infront of the url. i asked for help from my hosting service, but the guy said it is working fine. so it looks like it is just my computer. hah
Posted by: tibet360.com at April 14, 2006 6:28 PMhow do you get the IP address converted into a text name and can it be done without buying web space?
Posted by: Kayne at April 19, 2006 9:38 PMArticle is fine but, I have a small question.
Posted by: sarit at February 17, 2009 4:02 AMJust as when you type http://207.46.250.119, you go to: http://www.microsoft.com nad know that 207.46.250.119 = microsoft.com, can I know, when I visit (say) http://www.rediffmail.com, it is http://***.**.***.***?
Shall be grateful for your kind reply,
- Sarit.
To Sarit: I'm assuming you have a windows machine. If so, go to Start, Run. Type cmd then hit Enter. This will bring up a command prompt window. Now type tracert www.rediffmail.com then hit Enter. This command tracert means "trace the route to the following domain or IP address". After you hit enter, you will see a message saying "Tracing route to www.rediffmail.com [202.137.235.12]". There is the IP address. The rest of the stuff tracert does is map every IP address between you and www.rediffmail.com (if the request doesn't time out). There is probably another way to do it, but that's the way I use.
Posted by: Jared at April 23, 2009 6:52 AMYou wrote:
One thing you gloss over is the reason that the "www." has become so redundant -- namely, that its function has been almost entirely replaced by the protocol declarator. the "http://" at the start of the URL now does what the "www." once used to do; and of course, when "ftp://" begins a URL, the URL itself surely doesn't need to insist on the pattern of "ftp.whatever.com"!!! The "[protocol]://" prefix has pretty much obviated the need for that sort of idiocy. Yet it's still rampant!
Hooray for force of habit, huh? :( :( :(
Posted by: Glenn P. at June 13, 2009 5:02 AM