What are alternatives to URL/URI and how do they compare?

In programming, beyond the conventional URL/URI constructs, there are several alternatives that serve similar purposes. These alternatives can be more specialized for different protocols or use cases. Here’s a look at some of the more common alternatives:

• IRIs (Internationalized Resource Identifiers): Similar to URIs but support a wider range of characters, making them suitable for international use.
• Data URIs: Allow the inclusion of small data items inline in web documents, directly embedding the data in a URL format.
• Filesystem paths: Often used in local contexts, these paths reference files and directories within a filesystem hierarchy.
• FTP Links: Specialized URLs used for accessing files via the FTP protocol.
• mailto Links: URL format linking directly to email addresses to facilitate email composition.

While URL and URI are standardized and widely accepted, these alternatives can offer unique functionalities that enhance flexibility and usability depending on specific use cases or requirements.