THE KEY IDEA

Keep the product’s identity stable even when the information or website changes.

An address is a connection

We use “DPP URL” to describe a web address used to access a product passport. The phrase alone does not prescribe one universal address format. An address can lead directly to information, or to a resolver that directs the request to an appropriate resource.

Read the parts of a Digital Link

GS1 Digital Link is one standards-based approach. In the example below, the domain supplies the web location, 01 introduces a GTIN and 21 introduces a serial number. The example domain is reserved for illustration; it is not a published passport.

ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLE
https://id.example/01/09521141890127/21/1001

Choose an address you can maintain

Before printing, decide who operates the domain, where the information lives and how changes are handled. Avoid temporary preview addresses or URLs containing login tokens. Generating a URL in a browser does not publish its destination.

Identity, address, resolution and content

Use these four layers when reviewing a proposal. The same identifier can be represented in different carriers, and a resolver can change a destination without changing what the printed identifier denotes. Maintain that mapping deliberately; changing a host name does not itself create or invalidate a product identity.

On a narrow screen, swipe the table sideways to read all columns.

Four implementation layers
LayerQuestion to answer
IdentityWhich model, batch or item does this identify?
URL / carrierWhat is printed or encoded, and can it be read?
ResolutionHow is the request directed to a resource?
Information serviceWho maintains the data and grants access?

Test changes as well as the first visit

A practical URL review includes certificate renewal, domain renewal, redirect loops, mobile access and the behaviour of old printed labels after a website migration. Use a controlled test identity and document the expected destination. A GS1 Digital Link may open content directly; a syntactically valid Digital Link does not prove that the destination implements the GS1-Conformant Resolver Standard.

Sources & further reading

Prepared by Only1 with reference to the public materials below. Consult the original sources for the complete standard or regulatory requirements.

GS1 · Digital LinkGS1 · Digital Link URI Syntax 1.7.0GS1 · GS1-Conformant Resolver Standard