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GS1 Digital Link Resolver

How resolvers turn product identifiers into actionable web resources for consumers, retailers, and regulators.

What is a Resolver?

A GS1 Digital Link resolver is a web service that accepts a GS1 Digital Link URI and redirects or responds with the appropriate resource for the identified product. When a consumer scans a QR code containing a Digital Link, the resolver determines what content to serve based on the product identifier and the context of the request.

Resolvers act as the bridge between the physical world (a barcode on a product) and the digital world (product information, safety data, or promotional content online). They are the infrastructure that makes GS1 Digital Link work in practice.

URI Structure

A GS1 Digital Link URI follows a standardized structure that encodes the product identifier and optional qualifiers:

https://example.com/01/{gtin}
https://example.com/01/{gtin}/10/{lot}
https://example.com/01/{gtin}/21/{serial}
https://example.com/01/{gtin}/10/{lot}/21/{serial}

The path segments use GS1 Application Identifiers (AIs) as keys. AI 01 identifies a GTIN, AI 10 a batch or lot number, and AI 21 a serial number. This structure is both human-readable and machine-parseable.

Link Types

A single product identifier can resolve to multiple resources depending on the requester's intent. GS1 defines standard link types to distinguish these:

Link Type Purpose
gs1:pip Product Information Page — the default consumer-facing landing page with product details
gs1:recallStatus Recall information — safety notices and recall status for the product
gs1:sustainabilityInfo Sustainability data — environmental impact, recyclability, and circularity information
gs1:hasRetailers Where to buy — retailer listings and availability information
gs1:instructions Instructions for use — user manuals, setup guides, and how-to content
gs1:epil Electronic patient information leaflet — regulated information for pharmaceuticals

Linkset Format

When a resolver receives a request with an Accept header of application/linkset+json, it returns a Linkset — a structured JSON document listing all available links for the identifier. This allows applications to discover all resources programmatically.

{
  "linkset": [
    {
      "anchor": "https://example.com/01/00012345678906",
      "https://gs1.org/voc/pip": [
        {
          "href": "https://example.com/product/00012345678906",
          "title": "Product Information Page",
          "type": "text/html",
          "hreflang": ["en"]
        }
      ],
      "https://gs1.org/voc/recallStatus": [
        {
          "href": "https://example.com/recalls/00012345678906",
          "title": "Recall Status",
          "type": "text/html"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

The Linkset format is defined in RFC 9264 and adopted by GS1 as the standard machine-readable response format for resolvers.

Closient Resolver

Closient operates a conformant GS1 Digital Link resolver that supports all standard link types, Linkset responses, and content negotiation. You can manage your resolver links, configure redirects, and monitor scan analytics from the resolver dashboard.

Go to Resolver Resolver Learn Pages

Key Concepts

  • A resolver maps GS1 identifiers to web resources
  • URI paths use Application Identifiers (AI 01, 10, 21)
  • Multiple link types serve different audiences
  • Linkset (RFC 9264) is the machine-readable response format
  • Content negotiation determines response format

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