rfc
An RFC is a formal document that proposes or explains how something on the internet should work. People say "RFC" when they mean a published standard, a draft idea, or the process of making one. The most famous is RFC 1149, which jokes about sending internet traffic by carrier pigeon.
What a model may hear
- Request for Comments document internet standards, IETF
- treat the word as a numbered specification with exact technical requirements
- remote function call distributed systems programming
- assume a procedure invoked across a network
- regional frequency coordinator amateur radio
- map to spectrum management and licensing rules
- request for change IT service management
- trigger workflow for system modifications
Where people and models part ways
“check the RFC”
Meant: look up the official internet standard
May be taken as: search for a remote function call implementation or return protocol error codes
Say instead: “look up IETF RFC 7231 section 6.1”
“is there an RFC for this”
Meant: has someone proposed a standard
May be taken as: check for an open change request ticket in a service desk system
Say instead: “has someone published an IETF RFC or internet draft for this”
“follow the RFC”
Meant: obey the standard document
May be taken as: execute a remote procedure call or apply a radio frequency rule
Say instead: “implement according to IETF RFC 5322”
Tips
- Always give the RFC number when you mean a specific document.
- Say "IETF RFC" if you want the standards body sense, not remote calls.
- Quote section numbers to pin down exact requirements.
- Use "internet standard" or "protocol specification" if you want to avoid ambiguity entirely.
- Remember that RFCs range from jokes to obsolete drafts to binding standards; say which kind you need.
Often confused with
- RPC
- remote procedure call, not a document
- RFP
- request for proposal, business procurement
- API spec
- specific to one service, not internet-wide standard
- ISO standard
- formal international body, not internet community
- draft
- unpublished precursor, not yet an RFC
- errata
- correction to an RFC, not the RFC itself