ARCHIVED: What are Internet Drafts and Requests for Comments (RFCs)?

Internet Drafts and Requests for Comments (RFCs) are documents that discuss various Internet protocols, technologies, and concepts. Primarily the responsibility of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and its working groups, they play a crucial role in the evolution of Internet standards and practices.

By definition, an Internet Draft is a short-lived document, often produced by the IETF working groups, but also released by others as well. They are works in progress and, unless updated, they are removed from the Internet Drafts archive six months after they are published. Though some eventually become RFCs, and follow the general RFC format, Internet Drafts should not be regarded as authoritative sources. To read current Internet Drafts or to find more information, visit the IETF's Internet Drafts page at:

  http://www.ietf.org/ID.html

The Requests for Comments (RFC) documents are of a more formal and permanent nature than Internet Drafts. Once an RFC has been assigned a number and distributed, it can never be changed. If a revision becomes necessary, a new RFC is released that makes obsolete or extends the original document. Not all RFCs necessarily describe a standard or are even standard-track. Some are informational or describe vendor-developed technologies that did not go through the IETF. All RFCs, however, are published by the RFC Editor. For more information about RFCs as well as links to RFC archive mirrors, visit the RFC Editor's page at:

  http://www.rfc-editor.org/