Relative path

Alternatively called a partial path or non-absolute path, a relative path is a path or URL (Uniform Resource Locator) containing only a portion of the full path. Its complete location is based on its relation to the current directory where it's linked. These shorter addresses are convenient for those creating web pages because they require less typing and fewer characters.

How does it work?

We'll use Computer Hope as an example. On our site, we could link "https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/c/cpu.htm" to "https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/m/monitor.htm" only using "../c/cpu.htm" as both the "c" and "m" directories are in the same directory. The "../" portion of the relative path means "go back one directory."

Absolute path, File system, Parent directory, Path, Web design terms, Working directory