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lightning
Add MIME type recommendation to BOLT-11
Not using 'application/x-lightning' because x-prefixes are strongly discouraged as per IETF's RFC 6838: https://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc6838
Thoughts on application/lightning-invoice or application/ln-invoice? application/lightning doesn't feel specific enough. For example, maybe there will be a reason to transport raw LN messages like node_announcements or channel_announcements in a context that requires a MIME type.
@jimpo You are absolutely right. I prefer application/lightning-invoice as it's more consistent with the chosen URI scheme.
@Roasbeef LN wallet apps may register themselves as handlers for our MIME type with the OS. When you tap your phone on an NFC payment terminal and data with a MIME type of application/lightning-invoice is read Android knows to wake up and forward that (BOLT-11) data to whatever app handles lightning. It's also useful for sharing via bluetooth, email, you name it
In that scenario, why would BOLT-11 even be used? As is, the format is meant to be human readable to a degree. When accepting information over NFC, it seems one would just use a custom file format? (which would be another BOLT all together)
Personally I wouldn't go reinventing the wheel for NFC just because a tiny bit is human readable. BOLT-11 works and we are already encoding it to QR codes which are definitely not human readable. NFC or bluetooth or whatever is just another medium. We already have a URI scheme why not a MIME type too?
You can't just self-assign MIME types. There's actually a process for this; and you refer to the document which tells you that.
The only no-registered name I can see would be prs.lightning-invoice which would be a personal/experimental name. Yech...
