Targeturi

Targeturi, often written as target URI or targetUri, refers to the destination resource identifier used by a request, message, or operation in computing. It designates where an action should be directed and can be a URL or other types of URIs depending on the protocol in use. In many contexts, targeturi points to a specific endpoint or service that is expected to handle the incoming operation.

In practical terms, targeturi appears in web services, APIs, and messaging systems. A client may store the targeturi as a string or as a URI/URL object, constructed from configuration data. In protocols such as WS-Addressing, the destination of a message is expressed as a URI. OAuth and OpenID Connect flows often involve redirect URIs, which function as target URIs indicating where the authorization server should send the user after authentication.

Technical considerations include URI syntax and structure. A valid targeturi generally conforms to standard URI rules, typically requiring a scheme (such as http or https) and a hierarchical reference, though some environments permit relative or non-HTTP URIs. Implementations should validate and canonicalize the value, handle percent-encoding consistently, and resolve it against appropriate base contexts when needed.

Security considerations are important because targeturis influence where requests are dispatched. Risks include open redirects and server-side request forgery. Best practices include whitelisting allowed base hosts, avoiding untrusted user input for targeturi, and applying rigorous parsing and validation.

Related terms include Uniform Resource Identifier, URL, URI, and specific workflow uris such as redirect_uri in OAuth flows. Examples of targeturi include https://api.example.com/resource and urn:example:service, as well as relative forms used within internal networks.