Unit 1 · How the web works
What the # part of a URL does
The fragment, everything after #, stays in your browser. It never goes to the server; it only tells the browser which spot on the current page to scroll to.
The mix-up
What people often think
“The part after # is another page.”
What the tutor says
The # part never leaves your browser. It only scrolls to a spot on the page that already loaded.
If the server never sees #reviews, how could it send a different page for it?
How it works
In cornerbakery.ca/menu#reviews, the server receives a request for /menu and nothing else. The browser loads that page, then looks for the element with id="reviews" and scrolls to it.
Changing only the fragment does not load a new page, because the server would see the same /menu either way. That is also why # hides nothing: it does not make a page secret or secure, it just keeps that part of the address out of the request.
An example
<a href="#reviews">Jump to reviews</a>
...
<section id="reviews">...</section>Close cousins of this mix-up
The tutor watches for these in the same lesson.
“Changing the # part loads a different page from the server.”
The server sees /menu either way. Your browser just jumps to a different spot on the same page.
“The # symbol hides a page or makes it secure.”
The # hides nothing. It just stops that part of the address from reaching the server.
Practise it with a tutor watching
Parts of a URL
Name each part of a URL and say which parts reach the server.
Free with an account. The first two units need no account.