What is an URI?
URI stands for Uniform Resource Identifier. It is a string of characters used to identify a resource on the Internet. A URI provides a simple and extensible means to identify resources either by location, name, or both.
There are two main types of URIs:
- URL (Uniform Resource Locator): Specifies the location of a resource on the Internet, including the protocol needed to access it (e.g.,
http://,https://,ftp://).- Example:
https://www.example.com/index.html
- Example:
- URN (Uniform Resource Name): Specifies a resource by name within a given namespace, but does not necessarily tell you how to access it.
- Example:
urn:isbn:9780134685991
- Example:
Components of a URI
A URI can have several components:
- Scheme: Identifies the protocol (e.g.,
http,https,ftp). - Authority: Includes the domain name or IP address of the server (e.g.,
www.example.com). - Path: Specifies the specific resource (e.g.,
/index.html). - Query: Optional parameters passed to the server (e.g.,
?name=John). - Fragment: Optional anchor within the resource (e.g.,
#section1).
Example of a full URI:
https://www.example.com/path/to/resource?query=example#fragment
In this example:
- Scheme:
https - Authority:
www.example.com - Path:
/path/to/resource - Query:
?query=example - Fragment:
#fragment
In summary, a URI is a general concept that includes both URLs (which provide a location for a resource) and URNs (which provide a name for a resource).