← Back to catalogue
Research draft

Uniform Resource Identifier

vr.tr.uniform-resource-identifier · INF.MED

Let an agent explain URIs and their syntax, relay the URL and URN distinction and registered namespaces from IETF and library standards, describe use in the web and linked data, and distinguish URIs from IRIs, domain names and the identifier schemes that use URN namespaces.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain URIs and their syntax, relay the URL and URN distinction and registered namespaces from IETF and library standards, describe use in the web and linked data, and distinguish URIs from IRIs, domain names and the identifier schemes that use URN namespaces.

A string of characters that identifies a resource on the internet or in an information system, defined by RFC 3986 and comprising locators such as URLs and persistent names such as URNs, with registered namespaces for identifiers including the International Standard Audiovisual Number, the Serial Item and Contribution Identifier, National Bibliography Numbers and Life Science Identifiers; URIs underpin the web, linked data and library systems, and Internationalised Resource Identifiers extend them to Unicode.

What it is for: Identifying resources.

It can be explain syntax and kinds; relay standards and namespaces; describe use in web and data; distinguish related identifiers.

Distinguishing features

Generic syntax

Locator and name forms

Scheme registry

Web foundation

What it looks like

Not a visible object; a character string with a scheme, authority and path.

Physical character

RFC 3986: 2005 year - generic syntax

components: scheme, authority, path, query, fragment list

URN syntax: RFC 8141 note

How it is recognised

Identifier string for a resource

URLs, URNs, ISAN, SICI, NBN and LSID namespaces

IRIs allow Unicode; domain names are only one part; the schemes are identifier systems that use URN namespaces

Related models

is a kind of - in registry terms, by inclusion

Internationalized Resource Identifier

is defined by - the generic syntax

RFC 3986

includes - as a locator form

URL

is used in - to name things

Semantic Web

In practice

Families and kinds

URLs with schemes such as http, https, ftp and mailto

URNs with registered namespaces

identifier namespaces such as ISAN, SICI, NBN and LSID

data and other special-purpose URIs

Internationalised Resource Identifiers

Identifiers

RFC 3986 URI generic syntax

RFC 8141 URN syntax

Standards and regulation

IETF RFC 3986 and RFC 8141

IANA URI scheme and URN namespace registries

WHATWG URL Standard for browsers

Failure modes and hazards

Confusing URI, URL and URN

Encoding errors with non-ASCII characters

Registry aliases naming identifier schemes rather than URI kinds

Also called

Life Science IdentifierURNInternational Standard Audiovisual NumberSerial Item and Contribution IdentifierNational Bibliography NumberSBLLexMaritime Resource NameMACEIVISCTS URNucode systemwell-known URItrusty URIURI referenceTag URI schemeBitTorrent magnet linkDereferenceable Uniform Resource IdentifierBrazilian URN-LEX

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Source repository Registry entry point

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Understand What a URI is.

Science.

Definition

Definition and syntax.

Definition

Definition.

  1. What is a URI, what are its components, and how do URLs, URNs and IRIs relate? definition
  2. Is the question about the generic concept, a scheme, a namespace or web programming? boundary

Namespaces

Namespaces.

Namespaces

Namespaces.

  1. What are the ISAN, SICI, NBN and LSID identifier schemes, and how do they use URN namespaces? definition
  2. Which entry fits the specific scheme? action
Standards Standards.

Regulation.

IETF

IETF standards.

IETF

IETF.

  1. What do RFC 3986 and RFC 8141 specify, and how does the WHATWG URL Standard differ? provenance
  2. Which references are standard? provenance

Registries

Registries.

Registries

Registries.

  1. How are URI schemes and URN namespaces registered with IANA? provenance
  2. Which sources are cited? provenance
Use Use.

Practice.

Web

Web.

Web

Web.

  1. How are URIs used in HTTP, HTML and APIs, and how are they encoded? action
  2. Which entry fits percent-encoding? action

Data

Linked data.

Data

Data.

  1. How do RDF and linked data use URIs to name things? provenance
  2. Which entry fits linked data? action
Context History and persistence.

Context.

History

History.

History

History.

  1. How did URIs develop from Berners-Lee s early web to the current standards? provenance
  2. Which entry fits the history of the World Wide Web? action

Persistence

Persistence.

Persistence

Persistence.

  1. How do persistent identifiers such as DOIs and NBNs address link rot? provenance
  2. Which entry fits persistent identifier? action

What the second pass must settle

  • Should URL, URN and IRI be separate primary entries?
  • How should IETF and library standards be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases naming library identifier schemes; should they be split off?
Draft as JSON