Internet-Drafts are working documents of the IETF, its areas, and its Working Groups. Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts.
During the development of a specification, draft versions of the document are made available for informal review and comment by placing them in the IETF's Internet-Drafts directory. This makes an evolving working document readily available to a wide audience, facilitating the process of review and revision.
Internet-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.
Anyone can submit Internet-Drafts. Opinions expressed in the drafts are the authors'. The drafts do not necessarily have any standing in the IETF unless, for instance, adopted by a working group or approved as an RFC.
The following links provide information on submitting an Internet-Draft to the IETF.
The most effective way to search for, and browse, Internet-Drafts, is by using the IETF Datatracker. Internet-Drafts can be retrieved using ftp, http, or rsync.
The IETF digitally signs Internet-Drafts, and those signatures can be used to verify an Internet-Draft's authenticity. For information on working with Internet-Draft signatures, click here.
Questions on Internet-Drafts not answered here should be sent to the Internet-Drafts Administrator.