Difference Between URL and URI
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: September 25th, 2023

The difference Between URL and URI is that the URI can represent both the URL and URN of a resource simultaneously, whereas the URL can only specify the address of the resource over the web.
Difference Between URL and URI PDF
Here, we will first look into the complete list of the difference between the URL and URI and then briefly describe the URL and URI. We are going to explain the differences in several parameters below.
Table of content
Difference Between a URL and a URI
The URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, and URI stands for Uniform Resource Identifier. URL is a very commonly used string to locate resources on the web. URI allows the changeless identification of the resources.
Key Differences Between URL and URI
URL |
URI |
The URL Describe the identity of a device. |
URI is a Technique to identify the item. |
URL is a protocol used to access links to a webpage or a program on a webpage. |
URI is regardless of the method used, URI helps to identify one source from the other. |
URL is about the type of protocols to be utilized. |
No protocol is specified in URI |
URL is a type of URI string |
URI is the superset of string URL |
URL access the location or address of the resource. |
URI finds the resource. |
The components of URI are protocol, path, hash, domain, query string, and so on. |
The Components of URI included are scheme, query, authority, path, and more |
Example https://byjusexamprep.com/difference-between-email-and-gmail-i |
Example: urn:isbn:0-284-524389-3 |
URL and URI
URL and URI are a string of characters in which the URL is generally defined as a string of characters directed to an address. URI is also a string of characters that identifies a resource on the web using the name, location, or both. Let us understand each individually.
What is a URL?
The URL term stands for Uniform Resource Locator; it is often defined as a string of characters. This type of string character is directed to an address. URL provides a path to retrieve the introduction of the physical location by depicting its network location or primary access mechanism. The syntax of creating an URL is given below, where the primary division is employed for protocol, and the remainder of the division is employed for the resource containing a website or program name.
Example of a URL: https://byjusexamprep.com
What is a URI?
The term URI stands for Uniform Resource Identifier, similar to URL. URI is also a string of characters that identifies a resource on the web by taking location, name, or both. It is additionally combined as a locator, a name, or both, which recommends it can depict a URL, URN, or both.
The term identifier within the Uniform Resource Identifier refers to the prominence of the resources and describes the technique used.
Example of a URI: urn:isbn:0-284-56989-3