Description: A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a sequence of characters that uniquely identifies a resource on the web. URIs are fundamental in the context of REST (Representational State Transfer) architecture, where they are used to access and manipulate resources over the network. A URI can be a URL (Uniform Resource Locator), which provides the location of the resource, or a URN (Uniform Resource Name), which uniquely identifies the resource without specifying its location. The structure of a URI includes a scheme, indicating the protocol to be used (such as http or https), followed by an identifier that may include a domain, a path, and optionally, query parameters. Clarity and consistency in URI construction are essential to ensure that resources are accessible and understandable to both humans and machines. In the context of REST, URIs enable developers to create APIs that are intuitive and easy to use, facilitating interaction with the resources of a web application in an efficient and standardized manner.
History: The concept of URI was introduced in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee, the creator of the World Wide Web, as part of his work on web specifications. The idea was to provide a uniform system for identifying resources on the network, which led to the creation of standards that would later be formalized in RFC 3986, published in 2005. This document defined the syntax and use of URIs, establishing the foundations for their implementation in web applications and RESTful services.
Uses: URIs are primarily used in web application development and RESTful APIs to identify and access resources. They allow developers to structure their services in a way that resources are easily accessible and manipulable through HTTP requests. Additionally, URIs are essential for interoperability between different systems and applications, as they provide a standard means to refer to resources on the web.
Examples: An example of a URI is ‘https://www.example.com/api/users/123’, where ‘https’ is the scheme, ‘www.example.com’ is the domain, and ‘/api/users/123’ is the path that identifies a specific resource (in this case, a user with ID 123). Another example could be ‘urn:isbn:0451450523’, which is a URN that uniquely identifies a book without specifying its location on the web.
