kamikaze_Optimizer - 8:26 am on Nov 13, 2007 (gmt 0)

I doubt there's any "maximum", in the sense that the browsers will crash if you exceed it. They will simply display the first n characters (easily determined if it's important) and throw away the rest.

There is a url limit. Certain browsers will crash if you exceed the limit. I saved the original source of this info [boutell.com] a few months back and tested it out and proved it to be true.

Here it is:

Although the specification of the HTTP protocol does not specify any maximum length, practical limits are imposed by web browser and server software. Microsoft Internet Explorer (Browser) Microsoft states that the maximum length of a URL in Internet Explorer is 2,083 characters, with no more than 2,048 characters in the path portion of the URL. In my tests, attempts to use URLs longer than this produced a clear error message in Internet Explorer. Firefox (Browser) After 65,536 characters, the location bar no longer displays the URL in Windows Firefox 1.5.x. However, longer URLs will work. I stopped testing after 100,000 characters. Safari (Browser) At least 80,000 characters will work. I stopped testing after 80,000 characters. Opera (Browser) At least 190,000 characters will work. I stopped testing after 190,000 characters. Opera 9 for Windows continued to display a fully editable, copyable and pasteable URL in the location bar even at 190,000 characters.

[edited by: kamikaze_Optimizer at 8:42 am (utc) on Nov. 13, 2007]

[edited by: phranque at 2:51 am (utc) on Feb. 12, 2008]
[edit reason] quote attribution and trimmage [/edit]