Permanent Identifiers for the Web

Secure, permanent URLs for your Web application that will stand the test of time.

w3id.org is a permanent URL redirection service, run by the W3C Permanent Identifier Community Group. You claim a path under https://w3id.org/, and you control where requests for it are sent.

Applications that deal with Linked Data need URLs that stay stable for decades. This service operates like a switchboard, connecting a request for information to wherever that information currently lives. The switchboard can be reconfigured when the information moves, and every application that used the identifier keeps working.

Read the documentation → What the service is for, how to create and maintain an identifier, and how to test your changes.

Common starting points

Creating an identifier

Identifiers are added by pull request against the repository for this service: fork it, add ids/<your-id>/.htaccess with your redirect rules and contact details, test it, and open a pull request.

Please read Creating an identifier first. Note in particular that this service redirects; it does not host files — do not commit ontologies, schemas, or documentation to the repository.

You can also request a redirect by email.

Operation

The service operates in HTTPS-only mode, end to end, so that it can be used by Linked Data applications requiring high levels of security, such as those in the financial, medical, and public infrastructure sectors.

Identifiers are intended to last as long as the Web does. It is run by a consortium of organisations that have pledged responsibility for keeping it operating — see who runs it.

Community

Discussion happens on the public-perma-id@w3.org mailing list. For problems with a specific identifier, use the issue tracker.