# Connecting to HTTPS

[Publisher](https://github.com/DNAstack/dnastack-product-docs/blob/main/docs/publisher/data-sources/connectors/broken-reference/README.md) can connect to data accessible through public HTTPS URLs. This connection type enables you to aggregate files from multiple web locations into a single data source.

## Configuration Process

### Initial Setup

From the Publisher interface, select "Data Sources" in the navigation bar and click "Connect Data Source". Choose "HTTPS" from the available connectors.

### URL Configuration

Enter your file URLs in the input field using these formatting rules:

* Add one URL per line
* Lines starting with '#' are treated as comments and ignored
* Empty lines are ignored
* Lines starting with '@' reference external URL list files, which Publisher will retrieve and process using the same formatting rules

{% hint style="info" %}
Publisher fetches the metadata of the files by sending <mark style="color:orange;">`HEAD`</mark> requests and analyzing the response. This can result in overloading the target server depending on how the server handles <mark style="color:orange;">`HEAD`</mark> requests. Check with the administrator of the target server if you suspect this will cause any issues.
{% endhint %}

### Update Settings

Choose how frequently Publisher checks for changes to your HTTPS resources:

* Select a schedule (daily, hourly, etc.)
* Option to configure scheduling later

### Finalizing Setup

1. Provide a descriptive name for your data source
2. Optionally create and share a collection from this data source


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.omics.ai/products/publisher/data-sources/connectors/connecting-to-https.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.