The pathname property of a WorkerLocation object returns the pathname of the worker’s location as a string. Learn self.location.pathname, how it differs from href, search, and hash, and what blob workers report—with five examples and try-it labs.
Instance property
String
self.location
Read-only
Web Workers only
Baseline widely
A pathname is the path portion of a URL—everything after the host (and port), before the query string or hash. Inside a worker, self.location.pathname returns that path for the worker script URL.
MDN’s classic idea: on a worker loaded like the MDN docs path, location.pathname can look like "/en-US/docs/Web".
pathname has no query (search) or fragment (hash). For the full worker URL string, use href.
pathname PropertyA read-only instance property on WorkerLocation that returns the worker’s pathname as a string.
/).self.location.pathname or location.pathname inside the worker.Read the property inside a worker script:
const result = self.location.pathname;
// e.g. "/en-US/docs/Web"A string.
// Inside a Web Worker
const result = self.location.pathname;
self.postMessage(result);| Goal | Code / note |
|---|---|
| Read pathname | self.location.pathname |
| Return type | String |
| MDN example shape | "/en-US/docs/Web" |
| Send to main | self.postMessage(location.pathname) |
| MDN status | Baseline Widely available (since July 2015) |
Four facts to remember about WorkerLocation.pathname.
pathnameString
in workerself.location
noRead-only
widelySince Jul 2015
Examples follow MDN WorkerLocation.pathname. Labs use blob workers and compare pathname with related URL parts.
Read the pathname the MDN way.
self.location.pathname (MDN Idea)Post the worker pathname string to the main thread.
const result = self.location.pathname;
// e.g. "/en-US/docs/Web"
self.postMessage(result);The try-it lab posts the live blob worker’s pathname plus the MDN sample string for comparison.
pathname vs hrefPathname is only the path; href is the full worker URL.
self.postMessage({
pathname: location.pathname,
href: location.href
});Use pathname when you only need the path; use href when you need the exact script URL.
See how blob workers and related URL pieces relate.
Log pathname together with protocol and href for blob workers.
self.postMessage({
pathname: location.pathname,
protocol: location.protocol,
href: location.href
});Blob pathnames often look like a UUID path—not like MDN’s /en-US/docs/Web sample. Always inspect the live value.
Post the three URL pieces so you can see what each property covers.
self.postMessage({
pathname: location.pathname,
search: location.search,
hash: location.hash
});Simple blob workers often have empty search and hash; the interesting part is still pathname.
Post the worker pathname; compare it with window.location.pathname.
// Worker
self.postMessage(location.pathname);
// Main
worker.onmessage = (e) => {
console.log("worker:", e.data);
console.log("page:", location.pathname);
};The page path is the tutorial URL; the worker path comes from its own script URL (often a blob UUID path in these labs).
href, search, and hash when diagnosing URLs.Main creates a Worker with an http(s), blob, or other script URL.
Inside the worker, self.location describes that absolute script URL.
location.pathname returns the path string for that URL.
Compare, log, or postMessage the pathname to the main thread.
WorkerLocation / self.location).WorkerLocation.pathname is marked Baseline Widely available on MDN (since July 2015). Logos use the shared browser-image-sprite.png sprite from this project. It is only available in Web Workers.
Returns the worker's pathname as a string. Read it with self.location.pathname inside a worker.
Bottom line: Read location.pathname inside the worker—compare with the page path, and pair with href when debugging blob workers.
WorkerLocation.pathname is the worker-side path string for the script URL. Read it inside the worker, compare it with the page when needed, and use href when you need the full URL.
Continue with port, origin, href, or the JavaScript hub.
pathname only inside a workerwindow.location.pathname on the main threadhref alongside blob pathnamespostMessage to surface the value on the pagesearch and hash when parsing URLsWorkerLocation on the main threadlocation.pathname in a worker (read-only)hrefpathnameWorkerLocation.pathnameThe worker script’s path, as a string.
path string
APIself.location
Contextno assign
Rulepath only
Comparesince Jul 2015
StatusMDN’s example uses a docs-style path (/en-US/docs/Web. Blob workers in these try-it labs usually show a UUID-style pathname instead—same property, different URL shape.
Learn how to read the worker's port string.
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