locallink

Locallink is a term used in some documentation systems and intranet platforms to describe hyperlinks that reference content within a defined local scope, such as the current website, a corporate knowledge base, or an offline document set. Unlike ordinary web links that rely on global URLs, locallinks are resolved within a local namespace or resource map. There is no standard specification for locallink, and implementations vary by platform.

In systems that support locallinks, a link uses a distinct local URI scheme or namespace (for example locallink: or locallink://) and is resolved by a local link resolver. The resolver maps the local reference to a concrete URL or file path based on site configuration, version, language, or project structure. For illustration, a locallink might look like locallink:section/introduction or locallink://site/resource, with actual rendering translating it to an HTTP URL or a file path at render time.

Locallinks are commonly used for offline documentation sets, intranet knowledge bases, and content management workflows where external URLs are volatile or undesirable. They aid in maintaining internal navigation when content is migrated or reorganized and can simplify versioning and localization by keeping references within a defined namespace.

Advantages include stable internal navigation, easier migration and localization, and reduced dependency on external hosting. Limitations include the need for a compatible resolver, potential incompatibility with clients that do not implement locallinks, and the requirement for consistent namespace management to avoid broken links.

Locallink concepts are related to internal links, URL mapping, and URI schemes. See also internal link, relative link, and content management system documentation.