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# GS1 Digital Link

> A GS1 standard that expresses identification keys as structured web addresses, so a single scan can resolve to different destinations for different audiences.

## Definition

A GS1 standard that defines how identification keys are represented inside a web address, so that
a scan produces a resolvable link whose structure a machine can interpret. A resolver then
redirects the request to the destination appropriate for the requesting audience.

## Expanded Explanation

A Digital Link address carries the key and its value in a defined path, for example a trade item
number followed by a batch or serial value. Because the structure is standardised, any conforming
system can extract the identifier from the address rather than guessing at a proprietary URL format.

The second part of the standard is resolution. Rather than the carrier pointing at one fixed page, a
resolver holds a set of link types for each identifier, such as product information, instructions,
safety data, certification or a passport endpoint. The requester's context determines which
destination is returned, and the set can be changed without reprinting anything.

For passports this matters because the audiences are different by design. A consumer, a repairer, a
recycler and an authority may need different views of the same product, and the access rules that
separate them cannot be expressed by a single printed URL.

## Why It Matters

Digital Link separates identity from destination. Products already in the field keep working when
systems are replaced, content is restructured or a passport endpoint moves, because only the
resolver entry changes. Implementations that print destination URLs directly lose that flexibility
permanently.

## Common Misconceptions

#### Digital Link is a type of barcode

It is a syntax and resolution standard, not a symbology. The same Digital Link address can be
encoded in a QR code, a DataMatrix or an RFID tag.

## Related Terms

* [GS1](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gs1)
* [QR Code](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/qr-code)
* [Data Carrier](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-carrier)
* [Product Identifier](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/product-identifier)
* [Resolver](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/resolver)
* [GTIN](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gtin)

## Related Knowledge Base Articles

* [What Is a Digital Product Passport?](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/what-is-a-digital-product-passport)
* [Who Needs a Digital Product Passport?](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/who-needs-a-digital-product-passport)

## Related Articles

* [Data Carrier](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/data-carrier)
* [GS1](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gs1)
* [GTIN](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/gtin)
* [QR Code](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/qr-code)
* [Resolver](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/resolver)
* [EPCIS](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/epcis)
* [Harmonised Technical Specification](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/harmonised-technical-specification)
* [Product Identifier](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/product-identifier)

## See Also

* [Standards & Technology](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/overview)
* [Implementation](/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/overview)

## References

* GS1 Digital Link standard: [https://www.gs1.org/standards/gs1-digital-link](https://www.gs1.org/standards/gs1-digital-link)
* GS1 General Specifications: [https://www.gs1.org/standards/barcodes-epcrfid-id-keys/gs1-general-specifications](https://www.gs1.org/standards/barcodes-epcrfid-id-keys/gs1-general-specifications)
* ISO/IEC 18004, QR code symbology specification: [https://www.iso.org/standard/83389.html](https://www.iso.org/standard/83389.html)

## About This Article

About This Article

<dl>
  <dt>
    Last Reviewed
  </dt>

  <dd>
    2026-08-07
  </dd>

  <dt>
    Next Scheduled Review
  </dt>

  <dd>
    2027-08-07
  </dd>

  <dt>
    Article Version
  </dt>

  <dd>
    1.0
  </dd>
</dl>

tieback Knowledge is a continuously maintained reference library covering Digital Product
Passports, product traceability, product compliance and related regulations. Articles are
reviewed regularly as legislation, standards and implementation guidance evolve.

## Related Docs

* [Standards & Technology](/docs/knowledge-base/standards-and-technology/overview)
* [Implementation](/docs/knowledge-base/implementation/overview)
* [Digital Product Passports](/docs/knowledge-base/digital-product-passports/overview)
* [Glossary](/docs/knowledge-base/glossary/overview)