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In computing, a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) consists of a string of characters used to identify or name a resource on the Internet. Such identification enables interaction with representations of the resource over a network (typically the World Wide Web) using specific protocols. Schemes specifying a specific syntax and associated protocols define each URI. Contents [hide]

A Uniform Resource Name (URN) functions like a person's name, while a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) resembles that person's street address. The URN defines an item's identity, while the URL provides a method for finding it. The ISBN system for uniquely identifying books provides a typical example of the use of typical URNs. ISBN 0486275574 (urn:isbn:0-486-27557-4) cites unambiguously a specific edition of Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. In order to gain access to this object and read the book, one would need its location: a URL address. A typical URL for this book on a unix-like operating system might look like the file path file:///home/username/RomeoAndJuliet.pdf, identifying the electronic book saved in a local hard disk. So URNs and URLs have complementary purposes.