§17.1 · Form of publication
The files themselves
Every record on the Register is one file of plain text, at a permanent address, with its own schema written inside it.
| Address | What it holds | Files |
|---|---|---|
| /export/entry/ | Entry | 0 |
| /export/record/ | Transmission Record | 0 |
| /export/practice/ | Practice Record | 0 |
| /export/work/ | Work Record | 0 |
| /export/observation/ | Condition Observation | 0 |
A file is addressed /export/[kind]/[identifier].txt. The names of every file held today, each with its SHA-256, are listed in export.json, which is what mirror.py reads.
Why plain text
A record legible only through an application is a record with the lifespan of that application. These files open in any text editor written in the last forty years, parse in about twenty lines of code, and carry their own schema so that a reader who has never seen one can work out what the fields mean without asking us. No database stands behind them, and none is required to read them.
That is also what makes the mirrors real. A mirror holds the files, not an account with us.