Parse URL

Parse URLs to extract their components and validate them. The action breaks down URLs into their constituent parts (protocol, hostname, path, query parameters, etc.) and checks whether the hostname resolves via DNS—all in a single step.

Overview

The Parse URL action takes a URL string and extracts all its components using the native URL parser. It also performs DNS resolution to verify the hostname actually exists. Use it to analyze URLs, extract tracking parameters, validate links, or route workflows based on URL properties.

Configuration

Input Fields

URL (Required)

The URL to parse. Must include the protocol (http:// or https://).

Example:

https://example.com:8080/path/to/page?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc#section

Output Fields

URL Components

Field	Type	Description	Example
protocol	String	The protocol (http, https, etc.)	https
hostname	String	Domain without port	example.com
host	String	Domain with port (if present)	example.com:8080
port	String	Port number (empty if default)	8080
pathname	String	The path portion	/path/to/page
search	String	Query string with ?	?utm_source=google
hash	String	Fragment/anchor with #	#section
origin	String	Protocol + host	https://example.com:8080
queryParamsJson	String	All query params as JSON	{"utm_source":"google"}

Boolean Checks

All boolean fields return "TRUE" or "FALSE" as strings.

Field	Description
isValidUrl	Whether the URL parses successfully
hasPath	Has a non-trivial path (not just /)
hasQueryParams	Has query parameters
hasHash	Has a fragment/anchor
hasPort	Has an explicit port number
isSecure	Protocol is https:
hostnameResolves	Hostname resolves via DNS

Examples

Example 1: Validate URLs Before Processing

Scenario: Only process contacts with valid, resolvable URLs.

Workflow Setup:

1. Add Parse URL action with the contact’s website property
2. Add If/Then branch: isValidUrl equals "TRUE" AND hostnameResolves equals "TRUE"
3. Continue workflow for valid URLs only

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Example 2: Extract UTM Parameters

Scenario: Save UTM tracking parameters from URLs to contact properties.

Workflow Setup:

1. Parse the URL from a form submission or landing page
2. Use the queryParamsJson output with Parse JSON to extract specific parameters:
   • utm_source → Contact property “Original Source”
   • utm_medium → Contact property “Original Medium”
   • utm_campaign → Contact property “Original Campaign”

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Example 3: Check for HTTPS

Scenario: Flag contacts with insecure website URLs.

Workflow Setup:

1. Parse the contact’s website URL
2. If isSecure equals "FALSE":
   • Set contact property “Website Security” to “HTTP Only”
   • Create task to review security

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Example 4: Route by Domain

Scenario: Route leads differently based on their company website domain.

Workflow Setup:

1. Parse the company website URL
2. Use hostname in If/Then branches:
   • If hostname contains .edu → Route to Education team
   • If hostname contains .gov → Route to Government team
   • Otherwise → Route to General Sales

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Example 5: Validate Link Submissions

Scenario: Ensure submitted links are valid before creating content.

Workflow Setup:

1. Parse the submitted URL
2. Check multiple conditions:
   • If isValidUrl equals "FALSE" → Reject: “Invalid URL format”
   • If hostnameResolves equals "FALSE" → Reject: “Domain doesn’t exist”
   • If hasPath equals "FALSE" → Warn: “URL points to homepage only”
3. Otherwise → Accept and continue

URL Parsing Details

Valid URL Formats

The action parses any URL with a valid protocol:

• https://example.com — Simple domain
• http://example.com:8080/path — With port and path
• https://sub.domain.example.com — Subdomains
• https://example.com?key=value&other=123 — With query params
• https://example.com/path#section — With hash/fragment

Invalid URL Handling

If the URL cannot be parsed (missing protocol, invalid format), all component fields return empty strings and all boolean checks return "FALSE".

Invalid Input	Result
example.com	Invalid (missing protocol)
not-a-url	Invalid
://missing-protocol.com	Invalid

Query Parameter Extraction

The queryParamsJson field contains all query parameters as a JSON object:

URL: https://example.com?foo=bar&baz=qux&empty=

queryParamsJson: {"foo":"bar","baz":"qux","empty":""}

To extract individual parameters, chain the Parse JSON action using the queryParamsJson output.

DNS Validation

The hostnameResolves check performs a DNS lookup with a 5-second timeout to verify the hostname has valid DNS records.

What it checks:

• Domain exists in DNS
• Has A or AAAA records

What it doesn’t check:

• Whether the URL returns a successful HTTP response
• Whether specific paths exist
• SSL certificate validity

Note: A passing DNS check confirms the domain exists but doesn’t guarantee the specific URL path is accessible.

Best Practices

• Always check isValidUrl first — Other fields may be empty if URL is invalid
• Combine with Parse JSON — Extract specific query parameters from queryParamsJson
• Handle missing protocols — Consider prepending https:// if users commonly omit it
• Use hostnameResolves for link validation — Catches domains that don’t exist
• Branch on isSecure — Enforce HTTPS requirements in your workflows

Use Cases

Lead Qualification

• Check if company website is valid and resolves
• Deduct quality points if isValidUrl or hostnameResolves equals "FALSE"
• Flag .edu or .gov domains for special routing

Marketing Attribution

• Extract UTM parameters from submitted URLs
• Parse referral URLs to identify traffic sources
• Track campaign performance with query parameter analysis

Data Validation

• Validate URLs in form submissions
• Check that provided links actually work
• Ensure URLs use HTTPS for security compliance

Competitive Intelligence

• Extract competitor domains from submitted comparisons
• Parse competitor URLs for product analysis
• Route based on industry (by domain pattern)

Technical Details

Performance

• URL parsing: < 1ms (native browser/Node.js URL API)
• DNS check: 10-5000ms (network dependent, 5-second timeout)
• Total execution time: Typically 10-500ms

Timeout Handling

The DNS lookup has a 5-second timeout. If the lookup times out, hostnameResolves returns "FALSE".

Related Actions

• Parse JSON — Extract specific query parameters from queryParamsJson
• Match Regex — Custom pattern matching for URLs
• Validate Email — Similar validation for email addresses