Internet-Drafts

During the development of a specification, draft versions of the document are made available for informal review and comment by submitting them to the IETF's Internet-Drafts repository.

Internet-Drafts (often referred to simply as "drafts") have no formal status, and are subject to change or removal at any time; therefore they should not be cited or quoted in any formal document.

Author an Internet-Draft

Anyone can author an Internet-Draft. Opinions expressed in the drafts are the authors' alone. The drafts do not necessarily have any standing in the IETF unless, for instance, they are adopted by a working group or approved as an RFC. The Internet-Draft Author Resources website provides authors information on how to write an I-D and the tools available to support authoring.

Submit an Internet-Draft

Submitting an I-D via the IETF Datatracker submission tool places it in the IETF's Internet-Drafts directory. This makes the I-D readily available to a wide audience, facilitating the process of discussion, review, and revision. More detail about how to submit an I-D is available on Internet-Draft Authors Resources website.

Search for a Current Internet-Draft

The most effective way to search for, and browse, Internet-Drafts, is by using the IETF Datatracker. Internet-Drafts also can be retrieved using http or rsync.

Verify an Internet-Draft's Signature

The IETF digitally signs all submitted Internet-Drafts to mark these specific drafts as being authentic, and being received by the IETF through the normal Internet-Draft Submission Process. Those signatures can be used to verify an Internet-Draft's authenticity. More information is available about how to locate and verify I-D digital signatures.

Need Additional Assistance?

Questions on Internet-Drafts not answered here should be sent to the Internet-Drafts Administrator.