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A permalink or permanent link is a URL that is intended to remain unchanged for many years into the future, yielding a hyperlink that is less susceptible to link rot. Permalinks are often rendered simply, that is, as clean URLs, to be easier to type and remember. Most modern blogging and content-syndication software systems support such links. Sometimes URL shortening is used to create them.

A permalink is a type of persistent identifier and the word permalink is sometimes used as a synonym of persistent identifier. More often, though, permalink is applied to persistent identifiers which are generated by a content management system for pages served by that system. This usage is especially common in the blogosphere. Such links are not maintained by an outside authority, and their persistence is dependent on the durability of the content management system itself.

History

In the early years of the web, all content was static, and thus all hyperlinks pointed at a filename. Soon, though, many web pages became dynamic, and many URLs began to include query terms.

One cited early use of the term permalink in its current sense was by Jason Kottke on March 5, 2000, in a post titled: "Finally. Did you notice the".^[1] Matthew Haughey had discussed a permalink-style feature with Blogger co-founders Evan Williams and Paul Bausch the previous weekend, and Bausch had pointed out that it was technically feasible to produce permanent links in Blogger, using a feature (written by him) that allowed the ID of a post to be placed in a Blogger template. In response to Kottke's blog, on March 6, 2000, Haughey posted the technical details on his own weblog,^[2] which helped open the way to widespread adoption.^{[citation needed]}

Purpose

Permanence in links is desirable when content items are likely to be linked to, from, or cited by a source outside the originating organization. Before the advent of large-scale dynamic websites built on database-backed content management systems, it was more common for URLs of specific pieces of content to be static and human-readable, as URL structure and naming were dictated by the entity creating that content. Increased volume of content and difficulty of management led to the rise of database-driven systems, and the resulting unwieldy and often-changing URLs necessitated deliberate policies with regard to URL design and link permanence.

For example, Wikipedia's internal Common Gateway Interface-based URLs are made more readable by simplifying them. The internal URI for a Wikipedia article named Example, which is http://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Example, is generated via URL rewriting from the more human-readable external URL, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Example.

An entry in a blog with many entries is accessible from the site's front page for only a short time. Visitors who store the URL for a particular entry often find upon their return that the desired content has been replaced by something new. Prominently posting permalinks is a method employed by bloggers to encourage visitors to store a more long-lived URL (the permalink) for reference.

Permalinks frequently consist of a string of characters that represent the date and time of posting, and an identifier that denotes the author who initially authored the item or its subject. Crucially, if an item is changed, renamed, or moved within the internal database, its permalink remains unaltered, as it functions as a magic cookie that references an internal database identifier. If an item is deleted altogether, its permalink can frequently not be reused.

Permalinks have subsequently been exploited for a number of innovations, including link tracing and link trackback in weblogs, and referring to specific weblog entries in RSS or Atom syndication streams.

Comparing with PURL

Both permalink and PURL (persistent uniform resource locator) are used as a persistent URL, and redirect to the location of the requested web resource. The main differences in the concepts are about domain name and time scale: PURL uses an independent dedicated domain name, and is intended to last for decades; permalinks usually do not change the URL's domain, and are intended for use on timescales of years.

Permalinks and versions

Many blogging and content management systems do not support versioning of content, that is, if an entry is updated, a uniquely accessible version is not created. Thus, in the context of these systems, a permalink may refer to different content over time. In the context of systems that support versioning, such as most wikis, a permalink is commonly understood as a link to a specific version. Here, both the link itself and the resource it refers to should not change over time.

MediaWiki, the software that runs Wikipedia, supports this type of permanent link. In its current implementation, old versions of specific articles, images, and templates are referenceable by unique unchanging URLs, though current entries may not use old versions of images and templates. Permanent links to specific versions are recommended for citing articles from sources such as Wikipedia and Wikinews, to ensure that the content remains unchanged for review. A reviewer can then view the cited revision, the current revision, and the differences between the two.

Presentation

Blog entries are usually laid out as follows:

Title
Date
Body
Comments, permalink, and what category the entry was posted to (known as metadata)

Permalinks are usually denoted by text link (i.e. "Permalink" or "Link to this Entry"), but sometimes a symbol may be used. The most common symbol used is the hash sign, or #. However, certain websites employ their own symbol to represent a permalink such as an asterisk, a dash, a pilcrow (¶), a section sign (§), or a unique icon.

Permalink detection

Permalinks can be indicated within the HTML of a page to allow automated browsing tools to detect the permalink and use it for linking instead of the stated URL. The link element should include the following attributes:

<link rel="bookmark" href="http://example.com/bookmark/123/" />

References

^ "Finally. Did you notice the (kottke.org)". 5 March 2000. Archived from the original on 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2005-12-09.
^ "Caroline wishes outloud for | A Whole Lotta Nothing". 6 March 2000. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2008-12-16.

External links

[:0-1] "Finally. Did you notice the (kottke.org)". 5 March 2000. Archived from the original on 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2005-12-09.

[2] "Caroline wishes outloud for | A Whole Lotta Nothing". 6 March 2000. Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2008-12-16.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Permanent web hyperlink}}
-{{selfref|In Wikipedia: [[Help:Page history#Linking to a specific version of a page]]}}
+{{pp-protected|small=yes}}
-{{Refimprove|date=July 2007}}
+{{Self reference|For permalinks in Wikipedia, see {{Section link|Help:Page history|Linking to a specific revision of a page}} and [[Help:Permanent link]]}}
-[[Image:permalink example.png|thumb|right|300px|Example of a permalink at Jason Kottke's blog. In this instance, the  '''#''' symbol indicates a permanent link to the blog entry in question]]
+{{More citations needed|date=July 2007}}
-A '''permalink''' is a [[Uniform Resource Locator|URL]] that points to a specific [[blog]] or [[Internet forum|forum]] entry after it has passed from the front page to the archives. Because a permalink remains unchanged indefinitely, it is less susceptible to [[link rot]]. Most modern weblogging and content-syndication software systems support such links. Other types of websites use permanent links, but the term ''permalink'' is most common within the [[blogosphere]]. ''Permalink'' is a [[portmanteau word]] made from ''permanent link''. Permalinks are often simply stated so as to be [[human-readable]].
+A '''permalink''' or '''permanent link''' is a [[URL]] that is intended to remain unchanged for many years into the future, yielding a [[hyperlink]] that is less susceptible to [[link rot]]. Permalinks are often rendered simply, that is, as [[clean URL]]s, to be easier to type and remember. Most modern blogging and [[web syndication|content-syndication]] software systems support such links. Sometimes [[URL shortening]] is used to create them.
+A permalink is a type of [[persistent identifier]] and the word ''permalink'' is sometimes used as a synonym of ''persistent identifier.'' More often, though, ''permalink'' is applied to persistent identifiers which are generated by a [[content management system]] for pages served by that system. This usage is especially common in the blogosphere. Such links are not maintained by an outside authority, and their persistence is dependent on the durability of the content management system itself.
 ==History==
+In the early years of the web, all content was static, and thus all [[hyperlink]]s pointed at a filename. Soon, though, many web pages became [[Dynamic web page|dynamic]], and many URLs began to include query terms.
-One cited early use of ''permalink'' in its current sense was by [[Jason Kottke]] on [[March 5]], [[2000]], in a post titled: "Finally. Did you notice the".<ref>http://www.kottke.org/00/03/finally-did-you-notice-the</ref>  [[Matt Haughey]] had discussed a permalink style feature with [[Blogger (service)|Blogger]] co-founders [[Evan Williams]] and [[Paul Bausch]] the previous weekend, and Bausch had pointed out that it was technically feasible to produce permanent links in Blogger, using a feature (written by him) that allowed the ID of a post to be placed in a Blogger template.  In response to Kottke's blog, on [[March 6]], [[2000]], Matt Haughey posted the technical details on his own weblog,<ref>http://a.wholelottanothing.org/2000/03/caroline_wishes.html</ref> which helped open the way to widespread adoption
+One cited early use of the term ''permalink'' in its current sense was by [[Jason Kottke]] on March 5, 2000, in a post titled: "Finally. Did you notice the".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=http://www.kottke.org/00/03/finally-did-you-notice-the |title=Finally. Did you notice the (kottke.org)<!-- Bot generated title --> |date=5 March 2000 |access-date=2005-12-09 |archive-date=2022-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221222033624/http://www.kottke.org/00/03/finally-did-you-notice-the |url-status=live }}</ref>  [[Matthew Haughey]] had discussed a permalink-style feature with [[Blogger (service)|Blogger]] co-founders [[Evan Williams (Internet entrepreneur)|Evan Williams]] and Paul Bausch the previous weekend, and Bausch had pointed out that it was technically feasible to produce permanent links in Blogger, using a feature (written by him) that allowed the ID of a post to be placed in a Blogger template.  In response to Kottke's [[blog]], on March 6, 2000, Haughey posted the technical details on his own weblog,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://a.wholelottanothing.org/2000/03/caroline-wishes-outloud-for.html |title=Caroline wishes outloud for {{!}} A Whole Lotta Nothing<!-- Bot generated title --> |date=6 March 2000 |access-date=2008-12-16 |archive-date=2011-07-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716162021/http://a.wholelottanothing.org/2000/03/caroline-wishes-outloud-for.html |url-status=live }}</ref> which helped open the way to widespread adoption.{{Citation needed|date=September 2009}}
 ==Purpose==
-Permanence in links is desirable when content items are likely to be linked to, from, or [[citation|cited]] by a source outside the originating organization.  Before the advent of large-scale dynamic websites built on [[database]]-backed [[content management system]]s, it was more common for URLs of specific pieces of content to be static and human readable, as URL structure and naming were dictated by the entity creating that content.  Increased volume of content and difficulty of management led to the rise of database-driven systems, and the resulting unwieldy and often-changing URLs necessitated deliberate policies with regard to URL design and link permanence.
+Permanence in links is desirable when content items are likely to be linked to, from, or [[citation|cited]] by a source outside the originating organization. Before the advent of large-scale dynamic [[website]]s built on [[database]]-backed content management systems, it was more common for URLs of specific pieces of content to be static and human-readable, as URL structure and naming were dictated by the entity creating that content. Increased volume of content and difficulty of management led to the rise of database-driven systems, and the resulting unwieldy and often-changing URLs necessitated deliberate policies with regard to URL design and link permanence.
-For example, Wikipedia's internal cgi-based URLs [http://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Permalink] are re-written to a more human-readable form [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permalink].
+For example, Wikipedia's internal [[Common Gateway Interface|Common Gateway Interface-based]] URLs are made more readable by simplifying them. The internal [[URI]] for a Wikipedia article named Example, which is <code><nowiki>http://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Example</nowiki></code>, is generated via [[URL rewriting]] from the more human-readable external URL, <code><nowiki>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Example</nowiki></code>.
-An entry in a blog with many entries is accessible from the site's front page for only a short time.  Visitors who store the URL for a particular entry often find upon their return that the desired content has been replaced by something new.  Prominently posting permalinks is a method employed by bloggers to encourage visitors to store a more long-lived URL (the permalink) for reference.
+An entry in a blog with many entries is accessible from the site's front page for only a short time. Visitors who store the URL for a particular entry often find upon their return that the desired content has been replaced by something new. Prominently posting permalinks is a method employed by bloggers to encourage visitors to store a more long-lived URL (the permalink) for reference.
-Permalinks frequently consist of a string of characters which represent the date and time of posting, and an identifier which denotes the author who initially authored the item or its subject.  Crucially, if an item is changed, renamed, or moved within the internal database, its permalink remains unaltered, as it functions as a [[magic cookie]] which references an internal database identifier.  If an item is deleted altogether, its permalink can frequently not be reused.
+Permalinks frequently consist of a string of characters that represent the date and time of posting, and an identifier that denotes the author who initially authored the item or its subject. Crucially, if an item is changed, renamed, or moved within the internal database, its permalink remains unaltered, as it functions as a [[magic cookie]] that references an internal database identifier. If an item is deleted altogether, its permalink can frequently not be reused.
-Permalinks have subsequently been exploited for a number of innovations, including link tracing and link [[TrackBack|trackback]] in weblogs, and referring to specific weblog entries in [[RSS (file format)|RSS]] or [[Atom (standard)|Atom]] syndication streams
+Permalinks have subsequently been exploited for a number of innovations, including link tracing and link [[trackback]] in weblogs, and referring to specific weblog entries in [[RSS]] or [[Atom (standard)|Atom]] syndication streams.
+===Comparing with PURL===
+Both ''permalink'' and [[PURL]] (persistent uniform resource locator) are used as a persistent URL, and redirect to the location of the requested [[web resource]]. The main differences in the concepts are about [[domain name]] and [[Time#List of units|time scale]]: PURL uses an independent dedicated domain name, and is intended to last for [[decade]]s; permalinks usually do not change the URL's domain, and are intended for use on timescales of years.
 ==Permalinks and versions==
@@ Line 22: / Line 31: @@
 Many blogging and content management systems do not support [[revision control|versioning]] of content, that is, if an entry is updated, a uniquely accessible version is not created.  Thus, in the context of these systems, a permalink may refer to different content over time.  In the context of systems that support versioning, such as most [[wiki]]s, a permalink is commonly understood as a link to a ''specific version''. Here, both the link itself and the resource it refers to should not change over time.
-One wiki implementation which supports this type of permalinks is [[MediaWiki]], the software which runs Wikipedia.  In its current implementation, old revisions of specific articles, images, and templates are referenceable by unique unchanging URLs, although old versions of images and templates may not be utilized by current entries.  Permanent links to specific versions are recommended for citing articles from sources such as [[Wikipedia]] and [[Wikinews]], to ensure that the content remains unchanged for review. A reviewer can then view the cited revision, the current revision, and the differences between the two.
+[[MediaWiki]], the software that runs [[Wikipedia]], supports this type of permanent link.  In its current implementation, old versions of specific articles, images, and templates are referenceable by unique unchanging URLs, though current entries may not use old versions of images and templates.  Permanent links to specific versions are recommended for citing articles from sources such as Wikipedia and [[Wikinews]], to ensure that the content remains unchanged for review. A reviewer can then view the cited revision, the current revision, and the differences between the two.
-==Popular permalink formats==
-Blogging software creators and blog hosting websites have not agreed on a standard format for permalink URLs.  Some within the blogging community feel{{who}} that standardization would lead to the practice of meta-information about articles being mined from the URLs themselves rather than an associated RSS stream or meta tags stored within the content.  Although various permalink implementations accomplish essentially the same job, several vendors have produced different solutions.
-;[[Movable Type]] and [[TypePad]]
-:<nowiki>http://<username>.typepad.com/<username>/<4 digit year>/<2 digit month>/<15 character name>.html</nowiki>
-;[[Blogspot]]
-:<nowiki>http://<username>.blogspot.com/<4 digit year>/<2 digit month>/<article name>.html</nowiki>
-;boastMachine
-:<nowiki>http://<site-specific prefix>/post/<blog_name>/<unique integer identifier>/<article name></nowiki>
-;[[WordPress]]
-:<nowiki>http://<site-specific prefix>/<4 digit year>-<2 digit month>-<2 digit day>/<article name>/</nowiki>
-;[[WordPress.com]]
-:<nowiki>http://<selectedsubdomainname>.wordpress.com/<4 digit year>/<2 digit month>/<2 digit day>/<article name>/</nowiki>
-;[[LiveJournal]] and [[Bloglines]]
-:<nowiki>http://<username>.livejournal.com/<unique integer identifier>.html</nowiki>
-:<nowiki>http://users.livejournal.com/<username>/<unique integer identifier>.html</nowiki> for usernames beginning or ending with an underscore
-:<nowiki>http://community.livejournal.com/<community name>/<unique integer identifier>.html</nowiki> for communities
-;[[Midgard (software)|Midgard CMS]]
-:<nowiki>http://<site-specific prefix>/midcom-permalink-<document unique identifier></nowiki>
-;[[Typo (content management system)|Typo]]
-:<nowiki>http://<site-specific prefix>/articles/<4 digit year>/<2 digit month>/<2 digit day>/<article name></nowiki>
-;[[Community Server]]
-:<nowiki>http://<site-specific prefix>/archive/<4 digit year>/<2 digit month>/<2 digit day>/<article name>.aspx</nowiki>
-;[[Radio Userland]]
-:<nowiki>http://radio.weblogs.com/<7 digit Radio Id>/<4 digit year>/<2 digit month>/<2 digit day>.html#a<post number></nowiki>
-:<nowiki>http://radio.weblogs.com/<7 digit Radio Id>/categories/<category>/<4 digit year>/<2 digit month>/<2 digit day>.html#a<post number></nowiki> for posts in a category
-:<nowiki>http://<site-specific prefix>/<4 digit year>/<2 digit month>/<2 digit day>.html#a<post number></nowiki>
-:<nowiki>http://<site-specific prefix>/categories/<category>/<4 digit year>/<2 digit month>/<2 digit day>.html#a<post number></nowiki> for posts in a category
-;[[dasBlog]]
-:<nowiki>http://<site-specific prefix>/<article name>.aspx</nowiki>
-:<nowiki>http://<site-specific prefix>/<4 digit year>/<2 digit month>/<2 digit day>/<article name>.aspx</nowiki>
-;[[ECML Blogs]]
-:<nowiki>http://<site-specific prefix>/article.asp?post=<numeric id></nowiki>
-;[[Persistent Uniform Resource Locator]] (PURL)
-:<nowiki>http://<purl.org or site-specific>/a/b/c/something</nowiki>
 ==Presentation==
@@ Line 76: / Line 37: @@
 *Title
 *Date
+*Body
-*Entry
-*Comments, permalink, and what category the entry was posted to (known as [[metadata (computing)|metadata]])
+*Comments, permalink, and what category the entry was posted to (known as [[metadata]])
-Permalinks are usually denoted by text link (i.e. "Permalink" or "Link to this Entry"), but sometimes a symbol may be used. The most common symbol used is the hash sign, or #. However, certain websites employ their own symbol to represent a permalink such as an [[asterisk]], a dash, a [[pilcrow]] (¶), or a unique icon.
+Permalinks are usually denoted by text link (i.e. "Permalink" or "Link to this Entry"), but sometimes a symbol may be used. The most common symbol used is the hash sign, or #. However, certain websites employ their own symbol to represent a permalink such as an [[asterisk]], a dash, a [[pilcrow]] (¶), a [[section sign]] (§), or a unique icon.
 ==Permalink detection==
-Permalinks can be indicated within the [[HTML]] of a page so as to allow automated browsing tools to detect the permalink and use it for linking instead of the stated [[Uniform Resource Locator|URL]]. The link element should include the following attributes:
+Permalinks can be indicated within the [[HTML]] of a page to allow automated browsing tools to detect the permalink and use it for linking instead of the stated [[URL]]. The link element should include the following attributes:
+<syntaxhighlight lang="html">
-<nowiki><link rel="bookmark" href="</nowiki>''[Permalink URL]''<nowiki>" /></nowiki>
+<link rel="bookmark" href="http://example.com/bookmark/123/" />
+</syntaxhighlight>
 ==See also==
-*[[Deep linking]]
+* [[Persistent identifier]]
+* [[Deep linking]]
-*[[Digital object identifier]]
+* [[Digital object identifier]] (DOI)
-*[[Persistent uniform resource locator]]
+* [[Persistent uniform resource locator]] (PURL)
-*[[Purple Numbers]] (paragraph-level identifiers)
-*[[Uniform Resource Identifier]]
+* [[Uniform Resource Identifier]] (URI)
+* [[URL mapping]]
+* [[Perma.cc]]
 ==References==
@@ Line 97: / Line 61: @@
 ==External links==
-{{Wiktionarypar|permalink}}
+{{Wiktionary|permalink}}
-* [http://www.permalinks.cc/ Permanent Links and Bibliography for the Web]
-* [http://weblogs.about.com/cs/blogsglossary/g/permalink.htm About.com Web Logs on Permalink]
-* [http://www.plasticbag.org/archives/2003/06/on_permalinks_and_paradigms.shtml History and critique of permalinks]
 * [http://www.w3.org/Provider/Style/URI Cool URIs don't change - Tim Berners Lee]
+* [https://www.w3.org/TR/chips/#gl1 Choose URIs wisely]
-* [http://www.kongtechnology.com/2007/10/20/use-search-engine-friendly-permalink-for-your-wordpress-posts/ Use search engine friendly Permalink for your wordpress posts]
+* [https://www.w3.org/TR/2017/REC-html52-20171214/links.html#link-type-bookmark Link type "bookmark"]
-* [http://www.rasesolutions.com/permanent_links/ Permanent Link Offering Directories - Global Directory System]
+* [https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8574 cite-as: A Link Relation to Convey a Preferred URI for Referencing]
+{{Blog topics}}
-[[Category:Blogs]]
+{{Authority control}}
 [[Category:Identifiers]]
-[[Category:Universal identifiers]]
+[[Category:Unique identifiers]]
+[[Category:URL]]
+[[ja:Uniform Resource Locator#パーマネントリンク]]
-[[cs:Permalink]]
-[[de:Permalink]]
-[[es:Permalink]]
-[[eu:Permalink]]
-[[fr:Permalien]]
-[[ko:퍼머링크]]
-[[it:Permalink]]
-[[nl:Permalink]]
-[[uz:Doimiy link]]
-[[pl:Odnośnik bezpośredni]]
-[[pt:Ligação permanente]]
-[[zh:PermaLink]]