Subject: [regext] Entity role in reverse search

From: Mario Loffredo <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2021 10:53:10 +0100

Hi folks,

this is for asking the WG for an opinion about what is the best way to 
represent the entity role in the reverse search based on the 
xxxxx-entity relationship (where xxxxx is any RDAP object including the 
"entities" member).

According to the current version of reverse search draft, the role can 
be represented as a path segment (e.g.: 
/domains/reverse/registrant?fn=yyyyyy) whereas the value"entity" is used 
for an unspecified role (e.g.: /domains/reverse/entity?fn=yyyyyy). I try 
to condense in the following the reasons behind that:

1) In a reverse search based on such a relationship, the role is usually 
specified (I mean normally one wants to know all the domains of a 
registrant)

2) I worked around the problem of how the presence of the "role" query 
parameter could be compliant with RFC9082: should it be considered as a 
part of the search pattern? or should it be considered as a metadata 
parameter (like sort, count, cursor, which makes sense only if joined 
with a search pattern) ?

3) It is well known that endpoints are protected instead of query 
parameters. Specifying the role as a path segment allows an RDAP 
operator to make access control decisions on a per role basis.

Jasdip e Tom, who are going to implement the reverse search for RIRs, 
have raised to me the objection that the role might anyway be specified 
as a query parameter (e.g.: 
/domains/reverse/entity?fn=yyyyyy&role=registrant).

Provided that, at the application level, it doesn't make a lot of 
difference if the role is passed as a path segment or a query parameter, 
we need to reach a consensus on this point definitively.

I list the possible alternatives below:

- to represent the role only as a path segment (as is now);

- to represent the role only as a query parameter;

- to require the RDAP servers to process both

- other

Your feedback would be very appreciated.

Best,

Mario

P.S. Jasdip e Tom please add your considerations if I missed something.

-- 
Dr. Mario Loffredo
Technological Unit “Digital Innovation”
Institute of Informatics and Telematics (IIT)
National Research Council (CNR)
via G. Moruzzi 1, I-56124 PISA, Italy
Phone: +39.0503153497
Web:http://www.iit.cnr.it/mario.loffredo