Appendix B. Notes on Using the Link Header with Atom

Atom Link Element Compatibility

The Link HTTP header can express relationships equivalent to Atom's atom:link element.

Atom Link Structure

Atom defines links with:

• href - Target IRI
• rel - Relation type
• type - Media type hint
• hreflang - Language hint
• title - Human-readable label
• length - Resource size hint

Mapping to HTTP Link Header

Direct Mappings

`<!-- Atom -->`
<link href="next.xml" rel="next" 
      type="application/atom+xml" 
      hreflang="en" 
      title="Next Page"/>

`<!-- HTTP Header Equivalent -->`
Link: ``<next.xml>``; rel="next"; 
      type="application/atom+xml";
      hreflang="en"; 
      title="Next Page"

Considerations

• length attribute: No direct HTTP header equivalent
• Multiple links: Separate by commas in HTTP header
• Feed-level vs entry-level: HTTP headers are resource-level

Link Relation Registry

This specification establishes unified registry for:

• Atom link relations
• HTML link relations
• General web link relations

Previous Atom-specific registry superseded by broader Link Relation Type Registry.

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Reference: RFC 4287 (Atom Syndication Format)

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