search operators were not applied
Too few matches were found

Ok, as I just have fixed my SMF OpenID endpoint implementation (read details about some very related problems I had here) where I made a few assumptions on those relations. Of course that doesn't prove them right (so please correct me). Here they are:

  • Identifier URL = OpenID endpoint URL = IdP

  • The OpenID endpoint is not unique. It is the same for all end users of that endpoint.

  • Verified identifier URL = identity

  • Verified identifier URL is unique. It is associated to the endpoint user account.

  • https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id is the Google OpenID endpoint URL.

  • https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AltOawk... is the Google OpenID verified identifier URL.

  • The hash the Google OpenID identity URL contains is also related to the OpenID realm (the consumer domain namespace where this OpenID identifier stays valid). That is one of the reasons to not be just the username.

  • About how to provide the unique verified identifier URL, see here.

Still some things remain unclear to me:

  • What other reasons are there that Google uses for the hashed id; it could have also used id?u={username}&oidrealm={...}.

  • What is the reason to have such OpenID realm at all?

  • What exactly is the difference between identifier URL and claimed identifier URL?

Answer from Albert on Stack Overflow
🌐
HubSpot
blog.hubspot.com › home › website › uri vs. url: what’s the difference?
URI vs. URL: What’s the Difference?
February 13, 2025 - There are two types of URIs: URNs and URLs. A uniform resource name (URN) is a persistent and location-independent identifier that follows the “urn” scheme.
Top answer
1 of 3
5

Ok, as I just have fixed my SMF OpenID endpoint implementation (read details about some very related problems I had here) where I made a few assumptions on those relations. Of course that doesn't prove them right (so please correct me). Here they are:

  • Identifier URL = OpenID endpoint URL = IdP

  • The OpenID endpoint is not unique. It is the same for all end users of that endpoint.

  • Verified identifier URL = identity

  • Verified identifier URL is unique. It is associated to the endpoint user account.

  • https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id is the Google OpenID endpoint URL.

  • https://www.google.com/accounts/o8/id?id=AltOawk... is the Google OpenID verified identifier URL.

  • The hash the Google OpenID identity URL contains is also related to the OpenID realm (the consumer domain namespace where this OpenID identifier stays valid). That is one of the reasons to not be just the username.

  • About how to provide the unique verified identifier URL, see here.

Still some things remain unclear to me:

  • What other reasons are there that Google uses for the hashed id; it could have also used id?u={username}&oidrealm={...}.

  • What is the reason to have such OpenID realm at all?

  • What exactly is the difference between identifier URL and claimed identifier URL?

2 of 3
2

Here is my understanding. I am actually just answering the last two questions in your own answer. Hope someone finds these useful.

What is the reason to have such OpenID realm at all?

The realm is used for security. Basically the return_url is checked against the realm, and OpenID specs say they MUST match. Google has taken this one step further, and provides unique verified identifiers for each realm. They might have done as you suggested, and put the realm back in their identifier, but then you could tell by looking at two verified identifiers whether they were the same end-user or not. I think they are trying to keep their identifiers free of identifying information. (ironic, no?)

What exactly is the difference between identifier URL and claimed identifier URL?

The claimed identifier is the one the end-user has specified. This is not their unique identifier. Yahoo is a good example of this. They allow you to specify yahoo.com as your identifier, log into your yahoo account, and return a unique identifier to the openid consumer. This just simplifies the process for the end-user. (And increases the likelihood that they'll use yahoo.com as their openid!)

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GoDaddy
godaddy.com › resources › skills › domains › uri vs url vs urn: what’s the difference and why it matters
URI vs URL vs URN: What’s the difference and why it matters - GoDaddy Blog
A URN is a type of URI that identifies a resource by name, not by where it’s located or how to access it. URNs are built to be persistent and location-independent, which makes them ideal for long-term references..
Published   August 19, 2025
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Uniform_Resource_Identifier
Uniform Resource Identifier - Wikipedia
1 week ago - In July 1992 Berners-Lee's report on the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) "UDI (Universal Document Identifiers) BOF" mentions URLs (as Uniform Resource Locators), URNs (originally, as Unique Resource Numbers), and the need to charter a new working group.
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TechTarget
techtarget.com › whatis › definition › URI-Uniform-Resource-Identifier
What is a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI)? | Definition from TechTarget
Like a URL, a URN identifies a resource. But unlike a URL, a URN is location-independent and persistent, meaning it always identifies the same resource over time.
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W3C
w3.org › Addressing › URL › uri-spec.html
Universal Resource identifiers in WWW
The fragment-id follows the URL of the whole object from which it is separated by a hash sign (#). If the fragment-id is void, the hash sign may be omitted: A void fragment-id with or without the hash sign means that the URL refers to the whole object. While this hook is allowed for identification of fragments, the question of addressing of parts of objects, or of the grouping of objects and relationship between continued and containing objects, is not addressed by this document.
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Elementor
elementor.com › blog › resources › uri vs. url: the complete technical guide for web creators
URI vs. URL: The Complete Technical Guide for Web Creators
November 12, 2025 - Now we come to the less-known, non-location-based identifier: the Uniform Resource Name (URN). A URN is a type of URI that aims to provide a unique, persistent, location-independent name for a resource.
Find elsewhere
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Network Solutions
networksolutions.com › home › blog › domains & hosting​ › uri vs url: key differences explained with examples
URI vs. URL: Key Differences Explained with Examples
September 25, 2025 - URIs identify resources, URLs specify their locations, and URNs provide persistent, location-independent names. Well-structured URLs and correct identifier types improve SEO, web performance, and API design.
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Uniform_Resource_Name
Uniform Resource Name - Wikipedia
May 1, 2026 - As described in RFC 1737, and later in RFC 2141, URNs were distinguished from URLs, which identify resources by specifying their locations in the context of a particular access protocol, such as HTTP or FTP. In contrast, URNs were conceived as persistent, location-independent identifiers assigned ...
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DOI
doi.org › 10.53731 › r294649-6f79289-8cvzr
Persistent Identifiers and URLs
August 17, 2022 - They use the Handle system to resolve the identifier to a location, and this system was built in the 1990s as infrastructure independent of URLs or DNS (Domain Name Service), at a time when it wasn’t clear yet that URLs and associated standards would become ubiquitous.
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Google Cloud
cloud.google.com › blog › products › api-management › api-design-choosing-between-names-and-identifiers-in-urls
API design: Choosing between names and identifiers in URLs | Google Cloud Blog
November 18, 2018 - The best APIs implement both permalink URLs based on identifiers for stable identification and search URLs based on names (and perhaps other values) for ease-of-use. Here's why.
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Medium
medium.com › @gaspm › nano-id-popular-secure-and-url-friendly-unique-identifiers-1fa86c9fdf7c
Nano ID: Popular, Secure, and URL-Friendly Unique Identifiers | by Michal Gasparik | Medium
December 12, 2024 - For generating unique identifiers for records in a database. For creating random tokens used in authentication, especially in multi-user systems. For creating short and unique URL addresses for various resources.
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Medium
medium.com › @abhirup.acharya009 › uri-vs-urn-vs-url-key-distinctions-explained-dec8e02ebd18
URI vs URN vs URL : Key Distinctions Explained | by Abhirup Acharya | Medium
August 6, 2023 - Unlike a URL, which specifies the address or location of a resource, a URN provides a persistent identifier that remains unchanged even if the resource is moved or its location changes.
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GoDaddy
godaddy.com › home › uri vs url vs urn: the main differences and why it matters
URI vs URL vs URN: the main differences and why it matters - GoDaddy Resources - UAE English
April 6, 2026 - URNs are used to provide a persistent and location-independent way to identify resources. For example, a URN might be used to identify a specific book in a library catalog, regardless of where the book is physically located.
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IBM
ibm.com › docs › en › digital-analytics
Unique page identifiers
We cannot provide a description for this page right now
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W3C
w3.org › Addressing › URL › url-spec.html
Uniform Resource Locators
Among URLs the "news" URLs are anomalous in that they are location-independent. They are unsuitable as URN candidates because the NNTP architecture relies on the expiry of articles and therefore a small number of articles being available at any time. When a news: URL is quoted, the assumption is that the reader will fetch the article or group from his or her local news host. News host names are NOT part of news URLs. An outstanding problem is that the message identifier is insufficient to allow the retrieval of an expired article, as no algorithm exists for deriving an archive site and file name.
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TechTarget
techtarget.com › searchnetworking › definition › URL
What is a URL (Uniform Resource Locator)? Definition from SearchNetworking
A URL (Uniform Resource Locator, also called a web address) is a unique identifier used to locate a resource on the internet.