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Thing Registries separate a thing’s conceptual identity and owner relationship from its current network connection.

Lifecycle

1

Production

Give the thing a device identity and registration secret or key material without assigning an end owner.
2

Join a network

Establish an authenticated network identity and discover registry/provisioning services.
3

Register

Publish meta tags that describe the thing and any harmonized interfaces it supports.
4

Transfer the conceptual identity

Bind factory/bootstrap identity to the live network identity without exposing reusable secrets.
5

Claim ownership

The owner scans or enters an iotdisco URI and the registry records the relationship.
6

Operate and update

Device and owner can update the meta information allowed to each party.
7

Unregister or disown

Remove the live registration or ownership cleanly before transfer/decommissioning.

Discovery versus access

A search result says that a thing exists and publishes selected metadata. It does not authorize sensor reads or control. Provisioning and device-side decision support handle access separately.

URI and QR codes

iotdisco URIs encode claim/search metadata and are commonly presented as QR codes. Treat an unclaimed device’s claim material as a credential: use short exposure, prevent copying where possible, and invalidate it after claim.

Metadata security

  • Publish the minimum needed for discovery.
  • Avoid personal data and precise location unless explicitly intended.
  • Sign or protect key metadata used to bind identities.
  • Rate-limit registration and search.
  • Defend against tag-name spam and unbounded wildcard searches.
  • Require authorization for owner-only metadata changes.