They are the same. Just watch out for . . . . Lab can also refer to a Labrador Retriever, which is a type of dog. You can usually tell which is being discussed by the context.

Same thing. Lab is the short version for laboratory. It’s like gym is short for gymnastics.

What everyone else said. Also, stylistically, lab is more informal in some contexts.

Lab is the short form of Laboratory

"Laboratory" has more letters!