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RFC 6920 / NAMED INFORMATION

Name bytes with a digest

01

Named Information uses a hash function to turn defined input bytes into a digest, a fixed-size value that can be carried in a name.

RFC 6920 · § 8.1EXAMPLE
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Name bytes with a digestNamed Information uses a hash function to turn defined input bytes into a digest, a fixed-size value that can be carried in a name.ni:///sha-256;f4OxZX_x_FO5LcGBSKHWXfwtSx-j1ncoSt3SABJtkGkNo authority; no chosen retrieval hostRFC6920 · chapter1 state4 · public / fictional examples
04
Assemble a name

ni:///sha-256; followed by that encoded digest names the example bytes without specifying a server.

Source for this drawing: RFC 6920 · Read RFC section 8.1 ↗

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KEY POINT

SHA-256 is mandatory to implement: implementations MUST generate/send and accept/process names based on it (§2).

  • SHA-256 is mandatory to implement: implementations MUST generate/send and accept/process names based on it (§2).
  • The published Hello World! example is exactly 12 bytes with no quotes or trailing newline. The ni digest MUST use unpadded base64url (§3).
  • Integrity checking is OPTIONAL in this specification (§3). A name is not proof that any application has checked received bytes.
DETAILS

Also RFC6920 §§1–3. Worked values are public RFC examples or fictional teaching data. Naming, locating, and checking integrity are distinct operations.

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