Addressing with now-URIs

How things and streams are named on the Real-Time Web, and how addresses resolve to live state.

A now-URI is the address of a piece of the present. Resolving one never returns a file — it returns a live handle to current state.

Anatomy

now://acme.example/warehouse-3/dock-doors/7

• now:// — the scheme. Signals live state rather than a document.
• acme.example — the root authority, usually an organization’s domain.
• warehouse-3/dock-doors/7 — a hierarchical path to a specific thing or stream.

Resolution

Resolving a now-URI does three things: it checks that the caller’s identity is allowed to see the target, it locates the current authoritative source, and it returns a bi-link. If the target moves — a device is replaced, a service is relocated — the now-URI keeps resolving, and consumers do not notice.

Naming conventions

• Use stable, meaningful path segments (dock-doors/7, not d7x).
• Group by real-world structure, not by team or storage layout.
• Prefer nouns for things and streams; keep verbs out of addresses.

Permissions travel with the address

A now-URI carries enough metadata for the network to make an access decision at resolution time. Two callers resolving the same address may get different results — full state, a redacted view, or a denial — based on their identity.

Wildcards and discovery

A path ending in a wildcard resolves to a set. Subscribing to it delivers a live roster that adds and removes members as things come online and go offline.

now://acme.example/warehouse-3/dock-doors/*