Imported from registry/relations/list-directory.md at commit 76a4a0c89924.

IRI Link Relation: list-directory

Relation URI: https://iri.science/rels/list-directory
CURIE: iri:list-directory
Status: Provisional
Version: 1.0.0
Change controller: IRI technical subcommittee
Source representation type: Eligible DOE-IRI Resource representation with an explicit filesystem operation context
Source resource type: One of the exact Resource Types enumerated in Section 3
Target representation type: Resource-specific asynchronous directory-listing operation entry point
OpenAPI operation: POST /api/v2/filesystem/ls/{resource_id} (operationId: ls)

This document defines the iri:list-directory operation-affordance relationship used by eligible DOE-IRI Resource representations.

The canonical relation URI is https://iri.science/rels/list-directory. With the canonical IRI CURIE template https://iri.science/rels/{rel}, iri:list-directory expands to that URI. The relation URI identifies the link-relation semantics and is distinct from any target representation profile.

1. Relationship Metadata

Field Definition
Relationship iri:list-directory
Relation URI https://iri.science/rels/list-directory
Status and version provisional, version 1.0.0
Change controller IRI technical subcommittee
Semantic meaning Identifies the applicable operation entry point for requesting directory contents in the source Resource’s filesystem context.
Source representation type DOE-IRI Resource representation with one of the exact Resource Types in Section 3 and an explicit, unambiguous filesystem adapter and path context.
Target representation type Resource-specific asynchronous directory-listing operation entry point.
Cardinality 0..1 link from each eligible source Resource representation.
Applicability The adapter implements the mapped operation for the represented Resource and establishes its filesystem namespace and execution/access context.
Target stability Configured operation affordance, not a current listing, directory-existence, reachability, or successful-read assertion.
Relationship volatility Changes when the facility configures or withdraws the applicable adapter operation or changes requester-visible discovery, not solely because operational conditions change.
Authorization affects visibility Yes. The relation MAY be omitted when the requester is not authorized to discover or invoke the entry point. Presence grants no permission.
Omission semantics Not advertised in this representation; omission does not prove that directory listing is unsupported everywhere or permanently unavailable.
Target classification Operation entry point; not an API resource, DOE-IRI typed Resource, directory collection, listing result, or representation profile.
OpenAPI operation POST /api/v2/filesystem/ls/{resource_id} with operationId: ls; success returns TaskSubmitResponse.
OpenAPI binding x-iri-relation: ["https://iri.science/rels/list-directory"] on that Operation Object.

2. Semantic Meaning

The iri:list-directory relationship advertises the operation entry point through which a client may request directory contents in the source Resource’s configured filesystem context. The directory operand and other inputs remain in the OpenAPI-defined request body.

The relation identifies an applicable query operation, not a directory collection or listing result. It does not grant authorization, prove that the identified directory exists, or guarantee any particular contents.

3. Source, Target, and Operation Context

The relationship MAY originate only from a Resource whose exact resource_type is one of:

urn:doe-iri:resource:compute
urn:doe-iri:resource:compute:system
urn:doe-iri:resource:compute:node
urn:doe-iri:resource:storage
urn:doe-iri:resource:storage:filesystem
urn:doe-iri:resource:storage:mount
urn:doe-iri:resource:service:dtn

Eligibility is exact-type-based and is not inherited by other Resource Type descendants. For every eligible type, the adapter MUST establish the path namespace and one unambiguous execution/access context for the source Resource. Type classification, topology links, mount relationships, and supported_endpoints alone do not establish applicability.

In particular, a mount does not inherit operations from its filesystem or consuming system, and a DTN’s hosting or mount-access links do not imply a filesystem execution context. Generic compute and storage Resources are eligible only when their actual adapter semantics are known. If one source cannot identify an unambiguous context, the producer MUST expose separate Resources and use registered topology relations; it MUST NOT silently choose a host or add an undocumented context selector.

The producer MUST bind resource_id to the represented Resource’s adapter context. Because it is the only path variable, the advertised operation link is concrete rather than templated. If the operation belongs to a different Resource, the producer MUST expose the appropriate Resource relationship rather than advertise the operation as belonging to this source.

When supported_endpoints is present on the source Resource, advertising iri:list-directory requires "filesystem" in that array. The reverse implication does not apply, and authorization-suppressed omission does not make a retained "filesystem" category inconsistent.

A representation advertising iri:list-directory MUST also advertise at least one applicable service-desc link whose deployed OpenAPI description contains the binding in Section 8. The operation link MUST NOT carry an IRI representation profile.

4. Cardinality

Each eligible Resource MAY advertise zero or one applicable operation entry point:

Resource  -- iri:list-directory -->  Directory-listing operation entry point
   1                   0..1

The HAL relation uses a singular link object when supplied.

5. Asynchronous Invocation Semantics

The mapped operation remains POST and returns TaskSubmitResponse. Following the relation submits asynchronous work; it does not synchronously return directory contents or a collection representation. Clients use the existing Task monitoring flow and the governing OpenAPI contract to determine the outcome and interpret the result.

This relation MUST NOT be treated as an invented GET directory resource.

6. Stability and Availability

The relationship describes a configured applicable operation affordance. Its presence SHOULD remain stable across ordinary changes in load, health, reachability, or directory contents. It may change when the facility configures or withdraws the adapter operation or changes visibility for the requester.

The relation does not prove that the target is currently healthy, reachable, or available. Clients MUST handle ordinary invocation and Task failures.

7. Authorization, Visibility, and Omission

Authorization MAY affect visibility of the operation affordance. A provider MAY omit iri:list-directory when the requester is not authorized to discover or use the entry point. Presence grants no permission and guarantees no successful directory listing.

Omission means only that the affordance is not advertised in this representation. It does not prove that directory listing is unsupported everywhere or permanently unavailable. Links MUST NOT contain credentials or secrets. A client MUST NOT automatically forward credentials to an unrelated origin solely because an operation link or service description names it.

8. OpenAPI Contract and Binding

The current operation mapping is:

POST /api/v2/filesystem/ls/{resource_id}
operationId: ls
success status: 200
success schema: TaskSubmitResponse
x-iri-relation: ["https://iri.science/rels/list-directory"]

OpenAPI remains authoritative for the bound path parameter, PostLsRequest request body, responses, errors, Task submission, and security behavior. Clients MUST follow the advertised target and the applicable deployed OpenAPI description; they MUST NOT construct a URL or infer an HTTP method from the relation name. The canonical relation URI, rather than operationId, is the machine-readable binding key.

9. HAL Representation

{
  "id": "scratch",
  "resource_type": "urn:doe-iri:resource:storage:filesystem",
  "supported_endpoints": ["filesystem"],
  "_links": {
    "curies": [
      {
        "name": "iri",
        "href": "https://iri.science/rels/{rel}",
        "templated": true
      }
    ],
    "iri:list-directory": {
      "href": "https://api.example.org/api/v2/filesystem/ls/scratch"
    },
    "service-desc": {
      "href": "https://api.example.org/openapi.json",
      "type": "application/vnd.oai.openapi+json;version=3.1"
    }
  }
}

10. Governing Sources


DOE Integrated Research Infrastructure — Link Relation: list-directory