In web development, both "param" and "slug" are terms that refer to specific types of values in a URL, but they have different roles. Here's a breakdown of each:

Param (Parameter)

• Definition: A "param" (short for parameter) typically refers to a key-value pair in a URL that provides additional data to the server. Params are usually part of the query string in the URL.

• Format: Params appear after a question mark ? in the URL, with key-value pairs separated by an equals sign = and each pair separated by an ampersand &.

• Example:

    https://example.com/products?category=electronics&id=1234
  

  Here, category=electronics and id=1234 are params. They provide data (category and ID) that the server can use to filter or process the request.

• Use Case: Params are used for things like filtering data (e.g., category=electronics) or passing information to a server for processing (e.g., id=1234).

Slug

• Definition: A "slug" is a part of the URL that typically represents a human-readable, SEO-friendly identifier for a resource (e.g., a blog post, product, or page). It is often derived from a title or name.

• Format: A slug usually appears as a part of the URL path, often replacing spaces with hyphens (-) and making all characters lowercase for readability and SEO purposes.

• Example:

    https://example.com/blog/how-to-learn-python
  

  Here, how-to-learn-python is the slug. It is a descriptive, readable identifier for the blog post.

• Use Case: Slugs are used to make URLs more understandable for users and search engines, often reflecting the name or title of a resource.

Key Differences

• Location in URL:

  • Params are typically found in the query string (after the ? symbol).

  • Slugs are found in the URL path (after the domain name, often in the form of readable text).

• Purpose:

  • Params provide extra data for processing the request (like filtering or identifying specific resources).

  • Slugs represent readable identifiers for resources (like pages, blog posts, or products).

Example Comparing Both:

https://example.com/products/electronics?sort=price&filter=on-sale

• Slug: electronics is a slug, representing a category of products.

• Params: sort=price and filter=on-sale are parameters, specifying how the products should be filtered and sorted.

In summary, slugs are used for human-readable, SEO-friendly URLs that describe the resource, while params are typically used to pass dynamic data or configuration settings to the server.