parse_url

Parse a URL and return its components

&reftitle.description; ``int``string``array``null``false```parse_url` `string` `url` `int` `component`-1

This function parses a URL and returns an associative array containing any of the various components of the URL that are present. The values of the array elements are not URL decoded.

This function is not meant to validate the given URL, it only breaks it up into the parts listed below. Partial and invalid URLs are also accepted, `parse_url` tries its best to parse them correctly.

&reftitle.parameters;

`url`

- The URL to parse.

`component`

- Specify one of `PHP_URL_SCHEME`, `PHP_URL_HOST`, `PHP_URL_PORT`, `PHP_URL_USER`, `PHP_URL_PASS`, `PHP_URL_PATH`, `PHP_URL_QUERY` or `PHP_URL_FRAGMENT` to retrieve just a specific URL component as a `string` (except when `PHP_URL_PORT` is given, in which case the return value will be an `int`).

&reftitle.returnvalues;

On seriously malformed URLs, `parse_url` may return &false;.

If the `component` parameter is omitted, an associative `array` is returned. At least one element will be present within the array. Potential keys within this array are:

- `scheme` - e.g. http

- `host`

- `port`

- `user`

- `pass`

- `path`

- `query` - after the question mark `?`

- `fragment` - after the hashmark `#`

If the `component` parameter is specified, `parse_url` returns a `string` (or an `int`, in the case of `PHP_URL_PORT`) instead of an `array`. If the requested component doesn't exist within the given URL, &null; will be returned. As of PHP 8.0.0, `parse_url` distinguishes absent and empty queries and fragments:

    http://example.com/foo → query = null, fragment = null
    http://example.com/foo? → query = "",   fragment = null
    http://example.com/foo# → query = null, fragment = ""
    http://example.com/foo?# → query = "",   fragment = ""

Previously all cases resulted in query and fragment being &null;.

Note that control characters (cf. `ctype_cntrl`) in the components are replaced with underscores (`_`).

&reftitle.changelog;

&Version; | &Description;
8.0.0 | `parse_url` will now distinguish absent and empty queries and fragments.

&reftitle.examples;

### A `parse_url` example

    <?php
    $url = 'http://username:password@hostname:9090/path?arg=value#anchor';

    var_dump(parse_url($url));
    var_dump(parse_url($url, PHP_URL_SCHEME));
    var_dump(parse_url($url, PHP_URL_USER));
    var_dump(parse_url($url, PHP_URL_PASS));
    var_dump(parse_url($url, PHP_URL_HOST));
    var_dump(parse_url($url, PHP_URL_PORT));
    var_dump(parse_url($url, PHP_URL_PATH));
    var_dump(parse_url($url, PHP_URL_QUERY));
    var_dump(parse_url($url, PHP_URL_FRAGMENT));
    ?>

&example.outputs;

    array(8) {
      ["scheme"]=>
      string(4) "http"
      ["host"]=>
      string(8) "hostname"
      ["port"]=>
      int(9090)
      ["user"]=>
      string(8) "username"
      ["pass"]=>
      string(8) "password"
      ["path"]=>
      string(5) "/path"
      ["query"]=>
      string(9) "arg=value"
      ["fragment"]=>
      string(6) "anchor"
    }
    string(4) "http"
    string(8) "username"
    string(8) "password"
    string(8) "hostname"
    int(9090)
    string(5) "/path"
    string(9) "arg=value"
    string(6) "anchor"

### A `parse_url` example with missing scheme

    <?php
    $url = '//www.example.com/path?googleguy=googley';

    // Prior to 5.4.7 this would show the path as "//www.example.com/path"
    var_dump(parse_url($url));
    ?>

&example.outputs;

    array(3) {
      ["host"]=>
      string(15) "www.example.com"
      ["path"]=>
      string(5) "/path"
      ["query"]=>
      string(17) "googleguy=googley"
    }

&reftitle.notes;

This function may not give correct results for relative or invalid URLs, and the results may not even match common behavior of HTTP clients. If URLs from untrusted input need to be parsed, extra validation is required, e.g. by using `filter_var` with the `FILTER_VALIDATE_URL` filter.

This function is intended specifically for the purpose of parsing URLs and not URIs. However, to comply with PHP's backwards compatibility requirements it makes an exception for the file:// scheme where triple slashes (file:///...) are allowed. For any other scheme this is invalid.

&reftitle.seealso;

- `pathinfo`
- `parse_str`
- `http_build_query`
- `dirname`
- `basename`
- RFC 3986