emailurilike

Emailurilike is a term used in information architecture to describe a URI-like representation of an email address that is intended for machine processing and integration into web and software systems. It is not a formal protocol, but a design pattern used in documentation and data models to bridge email addressing with web-scale resources.

Relation to existing schemes: Although mailto: is the standard URI for email, emailurilike emphasizes a uniform, URI-based structure that can be easily parsed in JSON-LD, RDF, or REST APIs. It can resemble HTTPS URLs, custom schemes, or simple colon-delimited strings, but with additional parameters such as display name, subject, or preferred contact method. The approach favors readability and interoperability across systems that handle contact data.

Usage and formats: In practice, emailurilike representations are used in contact directories, customer relationship management systems, and API responses to convey email contacts without triggering outbound emails. They may embed the address in a query string like emailurilike://[email protected]?name=Alice&source=crm, or a parameterized HTTP path such as https://contacts.example.org/email/[email protected]. Because there is no universal standard, implementations vary, with emphasis on predictable parsing, validation, and safe handling to prevent misuse.

Privacy and security: When used in public-facing contexts, emailurilikes can expose addresses; operators may employ masking, hashing, obfuscation, or tokenization to protect personally identifiable information while preserving machine readability. Limitations include inconsistent parsing across clients and the absence of a formal standard.