www | Architecture | Addressing

Addressing Schemes (retired)

Refs * Registration * Extensibility

This document is retired, see details below

This was an attempt to index URI schemes and their specifications, whether they were registered or not. As noted in Sep 2003 discussion, it has become unwieldy to maintain and hence is retired. If you're making up a new scheme, be sure you know about scheme registration.

If you see an unregistered URI scheme, please contact the developer; feel free to bring it up in the uri list, and consider the UriSchemes topic in the ESW Wiki as a place to collaborate on patterns of use and abuse in URI schemes.

The stuff below is only here for historical purposes.

*unreg denotes an unregistered URI scheme. Registration and extensibility are discussed below.

see also: automation details below, separate scheme notes, including historial stuff

86 schemes:

IOR*unreg
spec: [CBnpbbjcfnc]
about*unreg
spec: [CndJvcpfnc1999]
acap

application configuration access protocol

spec: [CPppcnCnfgnc1997]
addbook*unreg

To add vCard entries to Communicator's Address Book

spec: [NcpDvdgnnFQC1999]
@@argh! URIs are noun phrases, not verb phrases
afp*unreg
spec: [Dfnnffpfwvcc1998]
afs*unreg
reserved by: [nnnddfcm]
aim*unreg
spec: [nnMngYm]
callto*unreg
spec: [NMHwCNMngHyp1998]
castanet*unreg

Castanet Tuner URLs for Netcaster

spec: [NcpDvdgnnFQC1999]
chttp*unreg
spec: [ngCnnfPy71999]
cid

content identifier

spec: [CnnDndMgDnfm1997]
data

data

spec: [Dcm1998]
originally proposed by Masinter on www-talk.; hmm.. use it in combination with a new MIME type for dates? e.g. data:text/date,1999-03-04T204208 test
dav

dav

spec: [HPxnnfDbdng1999]
dict*unreg
spec: [DcnyvPc1997]
dns*unreg
spec: [bff]spec: [DNcm2000]
eid*unreg
spec: [dcm1998]
yikes! looks like a terrible idea! @@check to be sure the URI scheme guidelines say why
fax

fax

spec: [fpnC2000]
file

Host-specific file names

spec: [nfmcc1994]
finger*unreg
spec: [fngpcfcn]
freenet*unreg
spec: [FndvFn`2000]
Hmm... ``Unlike the Web, information on Freenet is not stored at fixed locations or subject to any kind of centralized control.'' -- 1.1. What is Freenet? in the Freenet FAQ as of Aug 2000 . That's a property of http, ftp, etc., but not a property of the Web in general; e.g. it's not true of news: URIs.
in discussion in the freenet project:
ftp

File Transfer Protocol

spec: [FPFm1996]
gopher

The Gopher Protocol

spec: [GpFm1996]
gsm-sms*unreg
spec: [fGMMgvc1998]
h323*unreg
spec: [CnvnMmd1997]spec: [H323cmdfnn2001]
h324*unreg
spec: [CnvnMmd1997]
hdl*unreg
spec: [CNndym]
hnews*unreg
spec: [nwcm1998]
http

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

spec: [HypxnfPcHP111999]
https

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure

spec: [HPvnPcVn301996]
iioploc*unreg
spec: [npbNmngJnvdb1998]
ilu*unreg
spec: [yp]
imap

internet message access protocol

spec: [MPcm1997]
access to MIME body parts is interesting, but.. hmm.. it sure would be nice if IMAP could be used as a proxy service for mid:
ipp*unreg
spec: [nnPnngPcPPPP2001]
irc*unreg
spec: [MdfPCvcpc1996]
notes on integration of synchronous communication in the Web
jar*unreg
spec: [NwfJvPcHnd2000]
javascript*unreg
spec: [CndJvcpfnc1999]
jdbc*unreg
spec: [JvQP1999]
ldap

Lightweight Directory Access Protocol

spec: [nDPFm1996]
lifn*unreg
spec: [nccfBkFDbn1994]
livescript*unreg
spec: [CndJvcpfnc1999]
lrq*unreg
spec: [CnvnMmd1997]
mailbox*unreg

Mail folder access

spec: [NcpDvdgnnFQC1999]
mailto

Electronic mail address

Electronic mail address; The mailto URL scheme

spec: [mcm1998]
note that callto: and mailto: are misnomers. URIs are noun phrases. You can do other things with phone numbers than call them; for example, you could have a web page of your history with a caller pop up in response to the phone ringing (e.g. using caller id. (c) 1998 Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org> )
md5*unreg
spec: [mncbxnpfXMDF1999]
mid

message identifier

spec: [CnnDndMgDnfm1997]
mocha*unreg
spec: [CndJvcpfnc1999]
modem

modem

spec: [fpnC2000]
news

USENET news

spec: [nwcm1998]
nfs

network file system protocol

spec: [NFcm1997]
nntp

USENET news using NNTP access

spec: [nfmcc1994]
opaquelocktoken

opaquelocktoken

spec: [HPxnnfDbdng1999]
phone*unreg
spec: [fpny1998]
used in obsolete drafts
pop

Post Office Protocol v3

spec: [PPcm1998]
pop3*unreg
spec: [PP3nfc1997]
printer*unreg
spec: [Dfnnfpnfwvcc1999]
prospero

Prospero Directory Service

spec: [nfmcc1994]
res*unreg
spec: [Pc1998]
In every installation of win98, under C:\WINDOWS\WEB\Wallpaper you'll find a file called "windows98.htm" that contains the line: <IMG SRC="res://membg.dll/membg.gif" BORDER=0 WIDTH=329 HEIGHT=47>
rtsp

real time streaming protocol

spec: [mmngPcP1998]
rvp*unreg
spec: [ndzvPc1997]
rwhois*unreg
spec: [Wnfmcc1997]
rx*unreg

Remote Execution

spec: [MbGnWb]
sdp*unreg
spec: [DPcm1998]
service

service location

spec: [vcmpndvccm1999]
sip

session initiation protocol

spec: [Pcm1997]
smb*unreg
spec: [ynxfmbby2000]
snews*unreg

For NNTP postings via SSL

spec: [NcpDvdgnnFQC1999]
soap.beep

soap.beep

soap.beeps

soap.beeps

t120*unreg
spec: [CnvnMmd1997]
tcp*unreg
spec: [bff]
tel

telephone

spec: [fpnC2000]
telephone*unreg
reserved by: [fpnC2000]
used in previous drafts
telnet

Reference to interactive sessions

spec: [nfmcc1994]
tip

Transaction Internet Protocol

spec: [ncnnnPcVn301998]
tn3270*unreg
reserved by: [nfmcc1994]
tv*unreg
spec: [nfmccfvnBdc1997]
urn

Uniform Resource Names

spec: [Nynx1997]
uuid*unreg
spec: [Dddngcm1997]
vemmi

versatile multimedia interface

spec: [VMMpcfcn1997]
videotex*unreg
spec: [Vdxpcfcn1997]
view-source*unreg
spec: [CndJvcpfnc1999]
wais

Wide Area Information Servers

spec: [nfmcc1994]
whodp*unreg
spec: [WDPWdyHdbjcD1998]
whois++*unreg

Distributed directory service.

spec: [WHpcfcn1997]
z39.50r

Z39.50 Retrieval

spec: [nfmccfZ39501996]
z39.50s

Z39.50 Session

spec: [nfmccfZ39501996]

References

[nnPnngPcPPPP2001]
Internet Printing Protocol (IPP): IPP URL Scheme. Internet Draft issued 2001-02-13.
[H323cmdfnn2001]
H.323 URL scheme definition. Internet Draft issued 2001-02.
[ynxfmbby2000]
URI syntax for smb library. John Quirk, 2000-12-26.
[DNcm2000]
DNS URL scheme. S. Josefsson, Internet Draft issued 2000-11-24.
[NwfJvPcHnd2000]
A New Era for Java Protocol Handlers. Brian Maso, 2000-08.
[FndvFn`2000]
[Freenet-dev] Freenet URL`s. Lawrence W. Leung, (no dc:type found)2000-05-08T10:03:20.
[fpnC2000]
URLs for Telephone Calls. A. Vaha-Sipila, Internet RFC 2806 issued 2000-04.
[mncbxnpfXMDF1999]
The Semantic Toolbox - on top of XML-RDF - Ideas on Web Architecture. Tim BL, 1999-06-18.
[HypxnfPcHP111999]
Hypertext Transfer Protocol -- HTTP/1.1. J. Gettys, J. Mogul, H. Frystyk, L. Masinter, P. Leach, T. Berners-Lee, Internet RFC 2616 issued 1999-06.
[CndJvcpfnc1999]
Client-Side JavaScript Reference. Netscape Communications Corporation, 1999-05-28.
[Dfnnfpnfwvcc1999]
Definition of printer: URLs for use with Service Location. St. Pierre, Isaccson, McDonald, Internet Draft issued 1999-02-19.
[vcmpndvccm1999]
Service Templates and service: Schemes. Guttman, Perkins, Kempf, Internet Draft issued 1999-02-05.
formerly: The service: URL Scheme, Guttman, 22 Nov 1996.
[HPxnnfDbdng1999]
HTTP Extensions for Distributed Authoring. Goland, et. al, Internet RFC 2518 issued 1999-02.
[CHPCcngPc1999]
The CHTTP Caching Protocol. (no dc:type found)1999.
[NcpDvdgnnFQC1999]
Netscape DevEdge Online FAQ - Client Technical. Netscape Communications Corporation, (no dc:type found)1999.
[ngCnnfPy71999]
Authoring Content for RealPlayer 7. RealNetworks, Inc., 1999.
[JvQP1999]
Java SQL API. Sun Microsystems, Inc., 1999.
[fGMMgvc1998]
URLs for GSM Short Message Service. Vaha-Sipila, Internet Draft issued 1998-12-09.
[dcm1998]
The "eid" URL Scheme. Finseth, Internet Draft issued 1998-11-02.
[Dfnnffpfwvcc1998]
Definition of afp: URLs for use with Service Location. Wallace, Internet Draft issued 1998-10-30.
[npbNmngJnvdb1998]
Interoperable Naming Joint Revised Submission. orbos, 1998-10-11.
[DPcm1998]
SDP URL Scheme. FUJIKAWA, KURIYA, Internet Draft issued 1998-08-07.
[Dcm1998]
Data: URL scheme. L. Masinter, Internet RFC 2397 issued 1998-08.
[PPcm1998]
POP URL Scheme. R. Gellens., Internet RFC 2384 issued 1998-08.
[ncnnnPcVn301998]
Transaction Internet Protocol Version 3.0. Lyon, J., Evans, K., J. Klein, Internet RFC 2371 issued 1998-07.
[mcm1998]
The mailto URL scheme. P. Hoffman, L. Masinter, J. Zawinski, Internet RFC 2368 issued 1998-07.
[nwcm1998]
The hnews URL scheme. T. Stockwell, Internet Draft issued 1998-06-17.
[Pc1998]
Res Protocol. Microsoft Corporation, 1998-06-11.
[NMHwCNMngHyp1998]
NM: How to Create a NetMeeting Hyperlink on a Web Page. Microsoft Corporation, Microsoft Knowledge Base article 1998-04-22.
[mmngPcP1998]
Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP). Schulzrinne, H., Rao, A., R. Lanphier, Internet RFC 2326 issued 1998-04.
[nwcm1998]
The 'news' URL scheme. Gilman, Internet Draft issued 1998-03-09.
[WDPWdyHdbjcD1998]
WhoDP: Widely Hosted Object Data Protocol. Gordon Mohr, Internet Draft issued 1998-03-02.
[fpny1998]
URLs for Telephony. A. Vaha-Sipila, Nokia, Internet Draft issued 1998-02-23.
[CnvnMmd1997]
Conversational Multimedia URLs. Cordell, Internet Draft issued 1997-12-16.
[ndzvPc1997]
Rendezvous Protocol. Martin Calsyn, Microsoft Corporation, Internet Draft issued 1997-11-21.
[CPppcnCnfgnc1997]
ACAP -- Application Configuration Access Protocol. J. Myers, Newman, C., Internet RFC 2244 issued 1997-11.
[Dddngcm1997]
the UUID addressing scheme. Charlie Kindel, Internet Draft issued 1997-11.
[DcnyvPc1997]
A Dictionary Server Protocol. R. Faith, B. Martin, Internet RFC 2229 issued 1997-10.
[NFcm1997]
NFS URL Scheme. B. Callaghan, Internet RFC 2224 issued 1997-10.
[MPcm1997]
IMAP URL scheme. C. Newman, Internet RFC 2192 issued 1997-09.
[Wnfmcc1997]
The RWhois Uniform Resource Locator. S. Williamson, M. Mealling, Internet Draft issued 1997-08-02.
[nfmccfvnBdc1997]
Uniform Resource Locators for Television Broadcasts. D. Zigmond., Internet Draft issued 1997-06-10.
[Vdxpcfcn1997]
Videotex URL Specification. D. Mavrakis, H. Layec, K. Kartmann., Internet Draft issued 1997-05-20.
[Pcm1997]
SIP URL Scheme. H. Schulzrinne, Internet Draft issued 1997-05-14.
[WHpcfcn1997]
WHOIS++ URL Specification. Internet Draft issued 1997-05.
[Nynx1997]
URN Syntax.. Ryan Moats, Internet RFC 2141 issued 1997-05.
[CnnDndMgDnfm1997]
Content-ID and Message-ID Uniform Resource Locators. E. Levinson, E. Levinson., Internet RFC 2111 issued 1997-03.
[VMMpcfcn1997]
VEMMI URL Specification. D. Mavrakis, H. Layec, K. Kartmann., Internet RFC 2122 issued 1997-03.
[PP3nfc1997]
A POP3 URL Interface. Earhart, Internet Draft issued 1997-01.
[GpFm1996]
A Gopher URL Format. Casey, Krishnan, Internet Draft issued 1996-12-04.
[FPFm1996]
A FTP URL Format. Casey, Internet Draft issued 1996-11-26.
[HPvnPcVn301996]
HTTP over SSL (in The SSL Protocol Version 3.0). Freier, Karlton, Kocher, Netscape, (no dc:type found)1996-11-18.
[nfmccfZ39501996]
Uniform Resource Locators for Z39.50. R. Denenberg, J. Kunze, D. Lynch., Internet RFC 2056 issued 1996-11.
[MdfPCvcpc1996]
Mirashi draft@@ (also: PICS service) spec. Internet Draft issued 1996-08-26.
[nDPFm1996]
An LDAP URL Format. LDAP-WG, T. Howes, M. Smith, Internet RFC 1959 issued 1996-06.
[nfmcc1994]
Uniform Resource Locators (URL). T. Berners-Lee, L. Masinter, M. McCahill, Internet RFC 1738 issued 1994-12.
[nccfBkFDbn1994]
An Architecture for Bulk File Distribution. Internet Draft issued 1994-07-27.
[nnMngYm]
AOL Instant Messenger: Test Your Remote. (no dc:type found).
[nnnddfcm]
Internet Standard list of url schemes. (no dc:type found).
[CNndym]
CNRI handle system. (no dc:type found).
[bff]
rebol URL stuff. (no dc:type found).
[fngpcfcn]
finger URL Specification. IETF URI Working Group, Internet Draft issued .
[yp]
ILU types. (no dc:type found).
[CBnpbbjcfnc]
CORBA interoperable object reference. .
[MbGnWb]
Mobile GUI On The Web. Daniel Dardailler, (no dc:type found).
[FqnykdQnM]
Frequently Asked Questions: AIM URLs. (no dc:type found).

Registration of naming schemes

The Internet Standard list of URI schemes is maintained by IANA according to RFC2717. This dates back to...

A new naming scheme may be introduced by defining a mapping onto a conforming URL syntax, using a new prefix. [...]

It is proposed that the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) perform the function of registration of new schemes.

RFC 1630 URIs in WWW, June 1994

I periodically look at Internet Drafts containing "URL scheme" and the URI spec materials maintained by Roy Fielding to find new schemes.

Unregistered Schemes

Unregistered schemes should not be deployed widely and should not be used except experimentally. If you are designing a URI scheme, please see Guidelines for new URL Schemes, November 1999.

To the question "how many private URL schemes are there?," the answer was given that there were perhaps 20-40 in use at Microsoft, with 2-3 being added a day; WebTV has 24, with 6/year added. Maybe others have similar number of schemes.
-- minutes of the Uniform Resource Locator Registration Procedures (urlreg) WG meeting at the 39th IETF Meeting in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, Aug 1997

@@pointer to complaint about unregistered schemes in Mozilla.

How to Add URI Schemes to Your Desktop

It is recommended that those proposing a new scheme demonstrate its utility and operability by the provision of a gateway which will provide images of objects in the new scheme for clients using an existing protocol. If the new scheme is not a locator scheme, then the properties of names in the new space should be clearly defined. It is likewise recommended that, where a protocol allows for retrieval by URL, that the client software have provision for being configured to use specific gateway locators for indirect access through new naming schemes.
RFC 1630 URIs in WWW June 1994

The two on my personal to-do list are mid: and irc:.

@@how did Mosaic, viola, and Midas handle this? @@cite libwww API for adding new schemes, @@cite relevant Java APIs. Mac?

Netscape on Windows

5.3: Can I register my own protocol with Navigator?

It is possible to use NCAPI to register your own protocol. For instance, if you want to have all calls to "mySuperProtocol:" handled by your application, you should use NCAPI methods to get that functionality. However, it is not possible to register a viewer protocol on the Unix platform releases of Navigator.

-- DevEdge Newsgroup FAQ

an 1999: Netscape Navigator has long lacked extensibility in URI schemes, and it has had broken parsing. But the Mozilla folks are working on it. See bug 2110.

Windows Internet Explorer

excerpt from Appendix A: Registering an Application to a URL Protocol in Internet Client SDK

The following example shows which registry values must be added to register a new application (notepad.exe in this example) to handle a new URL protocol (note:).

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT]
    [note]
        (Default) = "URL:Note Protocol"
        URL Protocol = ""
        [DefaultIcon]
            (Default) = "notepad.exe"
        [shell]
            [open]
                [command]
                    (Default) = "c:\windows\notepad.exe %1"

By adding these settings to the registry, attempts to navigate to URLs such as note:c:\myfile.txt would launch Notepad to edit the file c:\myfile.txt. Of course, all the commands supported under Shell\Open are supported, including DDEEXEC (in other words, "command" is not the only key you can put under the verb).

Colophon/TODO

I recently (Mar 2001) made this index into a semantic web development project, with the help of Sean Palmer and Aaron Swartz see:

TODO

  1. make dublin core bibliography formatting available separately from the resto of the stuff that the transformation does
  2. merge RFC title/date/author/etc. stuff in from rfc-index; merge endorsement info from STD1?

    should refine dc:date to dc:issued for RFCs and internet drafts; infer dc:date using cwm/AlgyKB

and someday...

dublin core feedback: dca:agentName is redundant; just dca:name, pls.

Dan Connolly
created 1996/01/02 03:37:23
$Revision: 1.95 $ of $Date: 2007/04/06 16:20:54 $