URN

Technology & Computing abbreviation · Internet & Web

URN
Stands forUniform Resource Name
CategoriesTechnology & Computing

URN stands for Uniform Resource Name, an Internet & web abbreviation.

A URI that names a resource persistently without saying where to find it, using the form urn:namespace:identifier, such as urn:uuid followed by a UUID. A URN stays valid even if the resource moves or disappears.

Example: Each standard in the catalog carries a URN such as urn:ietf:rfc:3986.

Usage notes

The syntax is defined in RFC 8141 (2017), and registered namespaces include isbn, issn, uuid and ietf. URNs appear in library systems, XML namespaces and identity standards such as SAML. They never caught on with the general public the way URLs did.

More Internet & web abbreviations

  • SSR – Server-side rendering
  • TLD – Top-level domain
  • TTFB – Time to first byte
  • UA – User agent
  • URI – Uniform Resource Identifier
  • URL – Uniform Resource Locator
  • W3C – World Wide Web Consortium
  • WAI – Web Accessibility Initiative
  • WASM – WebAssembly
  • WCAG – Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
  • WebDAV – Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning
  • WebGL – Web Graphics Library

See all 76 Internet & web abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.