What Is Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)?

Oh my, let's talk about the Uniform Resource Identifier, or URI for short! It may sound like a fancy phrase for a superhero's costume, but in reality, it's a tool that's really helpful for discovering information on the internet. A Uniform Resource Identifier, or URI, is a string of characters that may be used to specifically identify a resource. This resource could be something like a webpage or a file. It is comparable to waving a magic wand in front of your computer to cause it to locate the specific information you seek on the internet. There are two varieties of URIs: URLs, which stand for "uniform resource locators," and URNs, which stand for "uniform resource names." The Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is analogous to a street address in that it directs your computer to the location of a certain resource, such as a webpage or file. The URN is more analogous to the number assigned to a book in a library's catalog. This number identifies the resource by its name, regardless of where the help is physically located. The question remains: why do we even require URIs in the first place? Imagine you are in a library and don't have the catalogue number or any information about the book's location. How difficult would it be to find the book you're looking for? That would be a nightmarish scenario! Your computer can quickly find and access the materials it needs from the internet thanks to uniform resource identifiers (URIs), which free you from the need to do individual searches for each resource. Plus, URIs are super versatile. They can recognize virtually any resource, including webpages, photos, audio files, and even email addresses. Due to the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), URIs are taking on an even greater significance in identifying and gaining access to various devices and services.