The main difference between an absolute and a relative path is that an absolute path specifies the location from the root directory whereas a relative path is related to the current directory.
Another visible difference between the two pathways is that an absolute pathway starts with a delimiting character such as “/” whereas a relative pathway never begins with such characters. In an absolute pathway the forward delimiting character then trickles down to the required location.
However, using a relative pathway is only feasible when moving around in the same directory. An absolute pathway is used when a link navigates to content in another website and a relative pathway is used while linking something on the same website.
| Parameter of Comparison | Absolute Path | Relative Path |
|---|---|---|
| By definition | specifies the location from the root directory | related to the location from current directory |
| Function of delimiting character | Begins with a delimiting character | Never begins with a delimiting character |
| Navigates to | Content from other domains | Content from the same domain |
| URL used | Uses absolute URL | Used relative URL |
| Other names | Full-path or File path | Non-absolute path |