Uniform Resource Identifier

What does Uniform Resource Identifier mean?

A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a compact string of characters that can be used to identify a particular resource on the internet or within a private network. Unlike Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), URIs are used to identify resources in a technology-independent manner without specifying a network location the way a URL does.

URIs are defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the standard ISO 3986-1. The standard defines the syntax of a URI as well as the rules for resolving a URI to a specific resource.

A URI can be used to identify a wide Variety of resources, including web pages, files, email addresses, and even physical locations. URIs are typically used in hypertext links, but they can also be used in other applications, such as web service requests and electronic mail.

The syntax of a URI is defined by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in the standard ISO 3986-1. The standard defines the syntax of a URI as follows:

URI = scheme ":" hier-part [ "?" query ] [ "#" fragment ]

The scheme is a string that identifies the protocol that should be used to access the resource. The hier-part is a string that specifies the location of the resource within the scheme. The query is a string that contains additional information about the resource, and the fragment is a string that identifies a specific part of the resource.

Applications

URIs play a fundamental role in the functioning of the World Wide Web and other internet technologies. They are used to identify web pages, files, email addresses, and other resources that can be accessed over the internet. URIs are also used to specify the target of a web service request or the destination of an email message.

In addition to their use on the internet, URIs can also be used within private networks to identify resources that are not accessible from the public internet. For example, a URI can be used to identify a file on a local file server or a printer on a local network.

History

The concept of a URI was first introduced in the early 1990s, as the internet was beginning to gain popularity. The first URI standard, RFC 1630, was published in June 1994. This standard defined the syntax of a URI and the rules for resolving a URI to a specific resource.

The URI standard has been revised several times since its initial publication. The Current version of the standard is ISO 3986-1, which was published in December 2004. This standard defines the syntax of a URI as well as the rules for resolving a URI to a specific resource.