What is the difference between URI and URL?

URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) — is a generalized syntax for identifying a resource. URL (Uniform Resource Locator) — is a specific type of URI that indicates the location of a resource and how to access it. URN (Uniform Resource Name) — is also a specific type of URI that identifies a resource by name within a namespace but does not specify its location.

All URLs are URIs, but not all URIs are URLs.

• Example of URI:

  • https://www.example.com/page (this is also a URL)
  • urn:isbn:0-486-27557-4 (this is a URN)

• Example of URL:

  • https://www.example.com/page
  • ftp://user:password@ftp.example.com/resource

Aspect	URI	URL
Purpose	Resource identification	Resource identification and location indication
Type	General identifier	Subtype of URI, locator
Contains	Identifier (name or location)	Identifier + protocol + location
Examples	https://example.com, urn:isbn:..	https://example.com, ftp://example.com