URLelike

URLelike is a term used to describe entities or concepts that share characteristics with Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) but are not actual web addresses. These "URL-like" constructs might resemble the structure of a URL, often featuring a scheme (like "http" or "ftp"), a domain name, and a path, but they do not point to a resource that can be accessed via the internet.

The term can be applied in various contexts. In programming, it might refer to identifiers within a system that are designed to mimic the hierarchical and structured nature of URLs for internal referencing or data organization. For example, a database record might have an ID that looks like "database://users/12345" to indicate its location within a specific database and table. Similarly, in some operating systems or application frameworks, custom URI schemes are used to launch specific applications or handle particular types of data.

These URL-like identifiers are useful for providing a consistent way to refer to resources, even when those resources are not directly accessible on the World Wide Web. They can facilitate interoperability between different software components and enable abstract representations of data or services. The key distinction is that while they possess the syntax of a URL, their resolution and interpretation are handled by a specific application or system, rather than a web browser or general-purpose network protocol.