What a GS1 resolver does

Updated August 2026

A resolver receives a Digital Link request, reads the identifier and requested link type, and selects a destination. A basic redirect usually sends every request for an address to the same place.

Routing one code to several destinations

One printed symbol may need to open consumer product information, a trading-partner specification, or customer-approved recall information. Link types label those destinations.

The GS1-Conformant Resolver Standard defines link types for this job. A client requests the identifier, and the resolver selects an approved destination:

• ?linkType=gs1:pip: the consumer product information page
• ?linkType=gs1:recallStatus: recall information approved for this item or lot
• ?linkType=linkset: the machine-readable linkset that lists the available destinations

Requesting application/linkset+json in the Accept header returns the same linkset. This is how machine-to-machine integration works without anyone agreeing on a bespoke API.

Resolver and conformant resolver are not synonyms

A useful Digital Link resolver can provide redirects without implementing the complete GS1 resolver profile. Full conformance also requires features such as EPC-binary URI decompression, GET/HEAD/OPTIONS with CORS, exact error responses, schema-valid linksets, and a resolver description file. Stampwright currently supports an uncompressed GTIN profile and does not claim full GS1 Resolver 1.2.0 conformance.

Lot-level overrides

GS1 Digital Link can carry a lot identifier such as LOT2027A. A resolver that supports lot-level routing can use it to select a customer-approved notice for that lot. Stampwright does not create or verify the underlying recall claim.

Why a URL shortener is not enough

Shorteners generally provide a redirect and scan counts. Many do not parse GS1 syntax, serve linksets, or route by link type. If the printed URL uses the shortener's domain, moving providers also depends on that company continuing to serve the old address.

Read the GS1-Conformant Resolver Standard 1.2.0.