A URI scheme is the protocol prefix before ://. https:// is not the only one.
| Scheme | Protocol | Notes |
|---|---|---|
ftp:// | File Transfer Protocol | File transfers |
mailto: | Email composition | Handed off to mail client |
ssh:// | Secure Shell | Terminal access |
irc:// | Internet Relay Chat | Chat |
magnet: | BitTorrent/P2P | Peer-to-peer downloads |
| Scheme | Protocol | Notes |
|---|---|---|
finger:// | Finger | User info, .plan files |
gopher:// | Gopher | Hierarchical menus, text docs |
gemini:// | Gemini | Lightweight, TLS-required documents |
Most mainstream browsers don't handle these: they require dedicated clients.