A computer system for facilitating a single application program interface, API, for file I/O and network communication, including handling Create, Read, Update and Delete commands, the application program interface implemented between a local application external to a Content Centric Networking, CCN, network and a CCN portal in the CCN network to enable the local application communicating with the CCN network to read and manipulate data in the CCN network, the system comprising: a processor; and a storage device storing a content-processing system and storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving by a content-processing system from the local application external to the CCN network a first command to create content, the first command comprising a CRUD create command, wherein the first command includes a content name for the content and access control information that indicates how the content may be accessed, wherein the content name is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier that includes contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level; creating by the content-processing system a first manifest which is a content object in the CCN network that indicates a set of member content objects by a name and a digest, wherein a name for the first manifest is the content name corresponding to the first command, wherein access to the manifest is based on the access control information included in the first command; and transmitting by the content-producing system to the local application external to the CCN network the first manifest and an indicator of success for creating the first manifest, thereby facilitating an interface for the local application to process network data in a content centric network. a processor; and a storage device storing a content-processing system and storing instructions that when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a method, the method comprising: receiving by a content-processing system from the local application external to the CCN network a first command to create content, the first command comprising a CRUD create command, wherein the first command includes a content name for the content and access control information that indicates how the content may be accessed, wherein the content name is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier that includes contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level; creating by the content-processing system a first manifest which is a content object in the CCN network that indicates a set of member content objects by a name and a digest, wherein a name for the first manifest is the content name corresponding to the first command, wherein access to the manifest is based on the access control information included in the first command; and transmitting by the content-producing system to the local application external to the CCN network the first manifest and an indicator of success for creating the first manifest, thereby facilitating an interface for the local application to process network data in a content centric network. receiving by a content-processing system from the local application external to the CCN network a first command to create content, the first command comprising a CRUD create command, wherein the first command includes a content name for the content and access control information that indicates how the content may be accessed, wherein the content name is a hierarchically structured variable length identifier that includes contiguous name components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level; creating by the content-processing system a first manifest which is a content object in the CCN network that indicates a set of member content objects by a name and a digest, wherein a name for the first manifest is the content name corresponding to the first command, wherein access to the manifest is based on the access control information included in the first command; and transmitting by the content-producing system to the local application external to the CCN network the first manifest and an indicator of success for creating the first manifest, thereby facilitating an interface for the local application to process network data in a content centric network.