Internet Engineering Task Force                                 S. Lasso
Internet-Draft                                              29 July 2024
Intended status: Standards Track                                        
Expires: 30 January 2025


                       Meta URIs: Generic Syntax
                         draft-soni-meta-uri-00

Abstract

   This document describes a format for embedding a URI inside a URI, as
   part of a URI scheme's syntax definition.

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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
     1.1.  Requirements Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  The Meta-URI Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
     2.1.  Fragment Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   4.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   5.  Interoperability Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   6.  Encoding considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   7.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     7.1.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     7.2.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4

1.  Introduction

   Sometimes, it is useful to encode application-specific metadata as
   part of a URI.  Traditionally, URIs provide very little support for
   application-specific metadata: [RFC3986] (Section 4.5) defines URI
   fragments, but they are specified by "the media type of [the
   resource]", not the application.  In practice, some applications have
   alternatively made use of fragments for application-specific
   metadata, in conflict with its intended usage.  This document defines
   a generic syntax for encoding application-specific metadata in a URI.

1.1.  Requirements Language

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and
   "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP
   14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all
   capitals, as shown here.

2.  The Meta-URI Syntax

   An URI scheme describes a meta-URI if the scheme's syntax conforms to
   the syntax described here in Augmented BNF [RFC5234], borrrowing
   various terms from [RFC3986].

   metaURI          = scheme ":" hier-part "?" meta-query
                      "&&" URI-reference
   meta-query       = [ meta-qattr *("&" meta-qattr) ]
   meta-q-res-avail = ":" / "@" / "!" / "$" /
                      "'" / "(" / ")" / "*" / "+" / "," / "="
   meta-qchar       = unreserved / meta-q-res-avail / pct-encoded
   meta-qattr       = 1*meta-qchar



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   As per Section 2.1 of [RFC8820], the meta-URI scheme MAY require
   support for specific embedded schemes, but SHOULD NOT restrict the
   allowed embedded schemes.

2.1.  Fragment Handling

   The fragment identifier, if any, is not part of the embedded URI, but
   instead applies to the whole Meta-URI, as per Section 3.5 of
   [RFC3986].  While the URI-reference term used above includes the
   fragment identifier, this approach merely enables future updates to
   [RFC3986] to also apply to this document automatically.

3.  IANA Considerations

   This document has no IANA considerations.

4.  Security Considerations

   It is up to the scheme authors to evaluate any security implications
   of using this syntax.

5.  Interoperability Considerations

   IPv6 literals cannot be encoded in the embedded URI, as square
   brackets ("[" and "]") are not allowed in the query element.  A
   future update to [RFC3986] may change this.

6.  Encoding considerations

   No encoding considerations are known at this time.

7.  References

7.1.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc2119>.

   [RFC8174]  Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC
              2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174,
              May 2017, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8174>.

   [RFC3986]  Berners-Lee, T., Fielding, R., and L. Masinter, "Uniform
              Resource Identifier (URI): Generic Syntax", STD 66,
              RFC 3986, DOI 10.17487/RFC3986, January 2005,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc3986>.



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   [RFC8820]  Nottingham, M., "URI Design and Ownership", BCP 190,
              RFC 8820, DOI 10.17487/RFC8820, June 2020,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc8820>.

   [RFC5234]  Crocker, D., Ed. and P. Overell, "Augmented BNF for Syntax
              Specifications: ABNF", STD 68, RFC 5234,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC5234, January 2008,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc5234>.

7.2.  Informative References

   [RFC7512]  Pechanec, J. and D. Moffat, "The PKCS #11 URI Scheme",
              RFC 7512, DOI 10.17487/RFC7512, April 2015,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7512>.

Acknowledgements

   Some of the ABNF rules in this document were adapted from [RFC7512].

Author's Address

   Soni Lasso Terense
   Email: fakedme@gmail.com
   URI:   https://soniex2.autistic.space/



























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