---
title: "Little-known URI shorthand - the \"network-path\" reference"
date: 2010-07-22
canonical: https://michaelshadle.com/2010/07/21/little-known-uri-shorthand-the-network-path-reference
---

# Little-known URI shorthand - the "network-path" reference

I've seen this before, and it was mentioned earlier today at OSCON, but I never knew if it was a browser behavior or a standard. Looks like I got it with some help from IRC.

Say you have a foreign host and you don't want to have to figure out if you're on http:// or https:// and call their assets appropriately so you don't get a mixed-mode warning. You can actually use a syntax that is defined in [RFC 3986](http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc3986#section-4.2), specifically section 4.2:  

> A relative reference that begins with two slash characters is termed a network-path reference; such references are rarely used. A relative reference that begins with a single slash character is termed an absolute-path reference. A relative reference that does not begin with a slash character is termed a relative-path reference.

  
Which means you can do this:

```html
<img src="//foo.com/bar.jpg" />
```

and your browser will request http://foo.com/bar.jpg or https://foo.com/bar.jpg, depending on what scheme your browser is currently on.

I was hesitant at first to consider it "okay" but as it is published in the RFC and Chromium's [fixed bugs relating to it](http://code.google.com/p/chromium/issues/detail?id=27524), it does appear to be a properly supported method that could save you a few keystrokes. Let me know if it doesn't work for you! Be sure to give browser/OS information and conditions to reproduce.

*Oh yeah, and the other host needs to be on https as well, of course. I shouldn't really have to say that, though :)*