How do configure optional or “extraneous” URLs?

Question

How would you configure/handle extraneous/optional URLs entities (aliases, maybe)?

SO is a good example:

• stackoverflow.com/questions/99999999/
• stackoverflow.com/questions/99999999/question-goes-here (bad example, but I couldn't think of better)

Amazon URLs are even more confusing (e.g., the Kindle)

• amazon.com/gp/product/B000FI73MA/
• amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Device/dp/B000FI73MA/

[EDIT] This probably isn't the best plan-of-action, but I'm really asking this in general vs. for any single server.

Answer 1

This technique is commonly known as url rewriting. If you are looking out for a solution in IIS, you can use ISAPI rewrite, which is quite similar to mod_rewrite for apache. Or else, you can go for ASP.Net MVC routing mechanism.

Answer 2

If you use Apache, take a look at mod_rewrite

Answer 3

Something like this (if manually configuring URLs):

RewriteRule ^([^\/]+)\/([^\/]+)\/(.*) index.php?controller=$1&view=$2&args=$3

Otherwise I let the MVC framework handle it and taylor the controller's arguments as appropriate.

Answer 4

mod_rewrite is often used, at least under Linux with Apache.

Answer 5

That's a task for your web app, not your web server.

On URL=>file mappings, like PHP (or static webservers) it's tricky; but on MVC frameworks it's quite natural, even on PHP MVC frameworks.