Comparison table for API URL vs API URI:
| Aspect | API URL | API URI |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a specific type of URI that points to a specific resource on the internet. | A Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) is a string of characters that uniquely identifies a particular resource. |
| Scope | URL is a subset of URI. | URI is a more general concept that can identify various resources, including URLs. |
| Usage | Used to access specific resources or endpoints provided by an API. | Used to identify resources within an API, including endpoints, parameters, and other components. |
| Representation | Often represented as complete web addresses, such as https://api.fakend.fyi/v1/users. |
Often represented as paths, such as /v1/users/{userId}. |
| Examples | https://api.fakend.fyi/v1/users |
/v1/users/{userId} |
API URL vs API URI: What's the Difference?
APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) are essential in modern software development, enabling communication between different software systems or components. In this blog post, we'll explore two key concepts related to APIs: API URLs and API URIs, and highlight the differences between them.
What is an API URL?
API URL stands for "Uniform Resource Locator," which is a specific type of URI (Uniform Resource Identifier). It is a web address that points to a specific resource on the internet. In the context of APIs, URLs are used to access specific endpoints or resources provided by an API.
For example, consider the following API URL:
https://api.fakend.fyi/v1/users
In this URL, https://api.fakend.fyi is the base URL of the API, v1 is the version of the API, and users is the endpoint that provides access to user-related resources. This URL can be used to retrieve a list of users or perform other operations related to users.
What is an API URI?
API URI stands for "Uniform Resource Identifier," which is a string of characters that uniquely identifies a particular resource. URIs are a more general concept than URLs and can be used to identify resources that are not necessarily located on the internet.
In the context of APIs, URIs can be used to identify resources within an API, including endpoints, parameters, and other components. For example, consider the following API URI:
/v1/users/{userId}
In this URI, /v1/users is the base URI of the API, and {userId} is a placeholder for a specific user ID. This URI can be used to retrieve information about a specific user by replacing {userId} with the actual user ID.
Key Differences
Scope: API URLs are a specific type of URI that points to a specific resource on the internet, whereas API URIs are a more general concept that can be used to identify resources within an API.
Usage: API URLs are typically used to access API endpoints or resources, whereas API URIs can be used to identify various components within an API, including endpoints, parameters, and other resources.
Examples: API URLs are often represented as complete web addresses, such as
https://api.fakend.fyi/v1/users, whereas API URIs are often represented as paths, such as/v1/users/{userId}.
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