The easiest way to get the current URL path in PHP

Table of contents:

• Get the path from the current URL
• $_SERVER contains everything about the URL’s path
• Use cases for the URL’s path

Get the path from the current URL

You can get the current URL path in PHP using the $_SERVER superglobal. Here is a straightforward way to do it:

<?php
 
echo $_SERVER['REQUEST_URI'];

The REQUEST_URI key will give you the current URL path along with the query string (if any).

For example, if the current URL is https://www.example.com/foo?bar=baz, the above code will output /foo?bar=baz.

$_SERVER contains everything about the URL’s path

Now that you have the solution, let’s break it down:

• $_SERVER is a superglobal exposed by PHP, which means it is available in all scopes throughout a script. It contains information about headers, paths, and script locations. And it’s not the only superglobal you can use.
• ['REQUEST_URI'] is one of the elements of the $_SERVER superglobal that contains the URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). It includes both the path and the query string.

Use var_dump() on $_SERVER and see for yourself all the valuable information it contains.

Use cases for the URL’s path

• Generating breadcrumbs: Breadcrumbs are a secondary navigation aid that helps users understand their location in an application. PHP lets you use the current URL path to generate dynamic breadcrumbs.
• Highlighting the current page in a navigation menu: You can use the current URL path to compare with the menu items and highlight the active one dynamically.
• Redirection: You may want to redirect users to the same page after they perform an action (e.g., submit a form).