BCP 14
E35652
BCP 14 is an IETF Best Current Practice document that standardizes the use of requirement-level keywords like “MUST,” “SHOULD,” and “MAY” in technical specifications.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| BCP | 1 |
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
IETF Best Current Practice document
ⓘ
requirements language specification ⓘ standards document ⓘ |
| appliesTo |
IETF technical specifications
ⓘ
Internet Standards Track documents ⓘ |
| category | Best Current Practice ⓘ |
| clarifies |
distinction between mandatory and optional behavior
ⓘ
when requirement keywords apply ⓘ |
| defines | requirement-level keywords ⓘ |
| definesConcept |
normative keywords
ⓘ
requirements levels ⓘ |
| definesTerm |
"MAY" as a truly optional feature
ⓘ
"MUST" as an absolute requirement ⓘ "SHOULD" as a strong recommendation ⓘ |
| domain |
Internet standards
ⓘ
computer networking ⓘ |
| encourages | consistent capitalization of requirement keywords ⓘ |
| governs | interpretation of capitalized requirement words ⓘ |
| hasAbbreviation | BCP 14 self-link ⓘ |
| hasStatus | active Best Current Practice ⓘ |
| influences | requirements language in non-IETF standards ⓘ |
| intendedAudience |
authors of IETF specifications
ⓘ
implementers of Internet protocols ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| objective | to reduce ambiguity in standards language ⓘ |
| partOf | IETF BCP series ⓘ |
| publishedBy | Internet Engineering Task Force ⓘ |
| purpose | to ensure consistent interpretation of requirement levels in specifications ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
RFC 2119
ⓘ
RFC 8174 ⓘ |
| requires | keywords to be in uppercase for normative meaning ⓘ |
| scope | normative language in RFCs ⓘ |
| standardizesUseOf |
"MAY"
ⓘ
"MUST NOT" ⓘ "MUST" ⓘ "OPTIONAL" ⓘ "RECOMMENDED" ⓘ "REQUIRED" ⓘ "SHALL NOT" ⓘ "SHALL" ⓘ "SHOULD NOT" ⓘ "SHOULD" ⓘ |
| usedFor |
expressing conformance requirements
ⓘ
writing protocol specifications ⓘ writing technical standards ⓘ |
| usedIn |
Internet protocol design
ⓘ
network architecture documents ⓘ security protocol specifications ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.