Editing Web server (section)

==== URL normalization ====
{{Main|URL normalization}}

Web server programs usually perform some type of [[URL normalization]] ([[Uniform Resource Locator|URL]] found in most HTTP request messages) in order to:
* make resource path always a clean uniform path from root directory of website;
* lower security risks (e.g. by intercepting more easily attempts to access static resources outside the root directory of the website or to access to portions of path below website root directory that are forbidden or which require authorization);
* make path of web resources more recognizable by human beings and [[Web log analysis software|web log analysis programs]] (also known as log analyzers / statistical applications).

The term ''URL normalization'' refers to the process of modifying and standardizing a URL in a consistent manner. There are several types of normalization that may be performed, including the conversion of the scheme and host to lowercase. Among the most important normalizations are the removal of "." and ".." path segments and adding trailing slashes to a non-empty path component.