docns
Docns, short for Document Name Service, is a conceptual framework and protocol set for binding human-readable document identifiers to location references or metadata in distributed systems. Unlike DNS, which maps domain names to IP addresses, docns focuses on documents, datasets, or scholarly works, enabling durable referencing as storage locations evolve. Core ideas include a stable naming space, a resolution mechanism across registries, and security features such as digital signatures and revocation.
In typical architectures, a docns namespace is managed by registries or registry networks. Documents acquire docns
Applications include academic repositories, data catalogs, and decentralized content networks where stable identifiers support citability, attribution,
Challenges include scalability, namespace governance, privacy, versioning, and lifecycle management of documents, as well as ensuring
See also DNS, IPFS, content-addressable storage, scholarly identifiers.