How to Get the Current URL in JavaScript

Introduction to Current URL Retrieval

Understanding how to interact with URLs is a fundamental skill for every web developer. Whether you’re building single-page applications using frameworks like React or Angular, or crafting conventional websites, knowing how to get the current URL can help you enhance your user experience significantly. The current URL may drive dynamic content loading, facilitate analytics tracking, or simply provide necessary information to enhance the functionality of your application.

This article will discuss various methods to retrieve the current URL in JavaScript. We’ll explore built-in browser properties, work through practical examples, and examine additional considerations such as handling query parameters. By the end, you will have a clear understanding of how to effectively use JavaScript to access the URL of the page a user is on.

Moreover, manipulating and utilizing the current URL can unlock incredible potential regarding user experience. This is especially true as you begin to dive into more complex applications that require responsiveness or tracking, and you’ll see why this knowledge is indispensable.

Using the Window Location Object

The simplest way to get the current URL in JavaScript is through the window.location object. This object provides a wealth of information about the URL of the current document. It includes properties such as href, protocol, host, and many more.

To get the full URL of the current page, you can access the href property of the window.location object. Here’s a quick code snippet:

const currentURL = window.location.href;
console.log(currentURL); // Outputs the full URL

This method is straightforward and works perfectly in most use cases. The output will display the complete URL structure, including the protocol (http or https), the domain, and the path. If you’re building a web application and need to pass the full URL to another function or an API call, this is the way to go.

Exploring Other Properties of window.location

While window.location.href gives you the complete URL, there are additional properties in the window.location object that you may find beneficial. For instance, if you need just the protocol (http or https), you can access it using window.location.protocol:

const currentProtocol = window.location.protocol;

console.log(currentProtocol); // Outputs