---
openapi: get /dwn/v1/protocols/{target}
title: Query DWN Protocols
description: Discover configured protocols and their data models
og:title: DWN Protocol Discovery
---

<Info>
  Protocols enable interoperable data structures across applications and users.
</Info>

## Protocol Discovery

### Finding Protocols
- **User Protocols**: Query specific user's DWN
- **Published Protocols**: Filter by `publishedOnly=true`
- **Private Protocols**: Require permissions to view

### Protocol Registry
Common protocol namespaces:
- `https://protocols.sonr.io/social/*` - Social media
- `https://protocols.sonr.io/health/*` - Healthcare
- `https://protocols.sonr.io/iot/*` - IoT devices
- `https://protocols.sonr.io/finance/*` - Financial

## Protocol Adoption

<Tip>
  Browse published protocols to find existing standards before creating custom ones.
</Tip>

### Adopting a Protocol
1. Query published protocols
2. Review protocol definition
3. Configure in your DWN
4. Start creating compliant records

```bash
# Find social protocols
snrd query dwn protocols did:sonr:community --published-only

# Adopt a protocol
snrd tx dwn protocols-configure --from <discovered_protocol>
```

## Protocol Versioning

### Version Strategies
- **URL Versioning**: `/v1`, `/v2` in URI
- **Semantic Versioning**: `1.0.0`, `2.0.0`
- **Date Versioning**: `/2024`, `/2025`

<Warning>
  Breaking protocol changes should use new URIs to maintain backward compatibility.
</Warning>

## Pagination

<Note>
  Large DWNs may have many protocols. Use pagination for efficient retrieval.
</Note>

```bash
?pagination.limit=10&pagination.offset=0
```