Resource Identifier

Synonyms

Document identifier; GUID; Uniform resource identifier; URI; UUID

Definition

In a networked information system, a resource identifier is a compact surrogate for a resource that can be used to identify, retrieve, and otherwise operate on the resource. An identifier typically takes the form of a short textual string. An identifier must be resolved to yield the associated resource.

Key Points

Resource identifiers can be broadly characterized as either locations, which identify resources by where they reside, or names, which identify resources by properties intrinsic to the resources [2]. This distinction is not absolute, and identifiers can exhibit characteristics of both classes. Nevertheless, the distinction is useful in defining the relationship between identifiers and resources. Consider:

Can two distinct, yet identical resources have the same identifier?

If a resource changes, must its identifier change?

If the answer to these questions is yes, then the identifiers should be...