A URL is a web address that specifies the location of a resource on the internet, usually comprised of protocol, hostname, path, and query parameters. A URL parser is a service that breaks down a URL into each component, providing details of each part. The various components of a URL include:

• Scheme/Protocol: This indicates the protocol used to access the resource (unsecure http, or secure https").
• Hostname: This is the host name of the web address where the resource is hosted (e.g., tools.iplocation.net).
• Path: This specifies the location of a specific resource on the server (e.g., /url-parser).
• Query Parameters: These are additional parameters that can be appended to a URL to provide additional query details (e.g., ?key1=value1&key2=value2). These are also called GET parameters which is used to pass key/value pair of data to the web server.
• Fragment/Anchor: This is used to specify a specific section within the resource (e.g., #section). This is usually used in inline anchor tag to take a user to a specific section of the web page.

A URL parser takes a URL as input and displays individual components. This makes it easier for developers to analyze and understand the structure of a web address. This can be particularly useful in web development, SEO, data analysis, or any situation where detailed information about URLs is needed.

Some web browsers and development tools have built-in URL parsing features for inspecting and manipulating URLs.