Subject: WG Action: Rechartered Hypertext Transfer Protocol (httpbis)

From: The IESG <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 07 Dec 2018 11:52:16 -0800

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (httpbis) WG in the Applications and
Real-Time Area of the IETF has been rechartered. For additional information,
please contact the Area Directors or the WG Chairs.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (httpbis)
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Current status: Active WG

Chairs:
  Patrick McManus <[email-masked]>
  Tommy Pauly <[email-masked]>
  Mark Nottingham <[email-masked]>

Assigned Area Director:
  Alexey Melnikov <[email-masked]>

Applications and Real-Time Area Directors:
  Adam Roach <[email-masked]>
  Ben Campbell <[email-masked]>
  Alexey Melnikov <[email-masked]>

Technical advisors:
  Allison Mankin <[email-masked]>

Mailing list:
  Address: [email-masked]
  To subscribe: [email-masked]
  Archive: http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/ietf-http-wg/

Group page: https://datatracker.ietf.org/group/httpbis/

Charter: https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/charter-ietf-httpbis/

This Working Group is charged with maintaining and developing the "core"
specifications for HTTP, and generic extensions to it (i.e., those that are
not specific to one application).

Its current work items are:

# HTTP/1.1 Revision

After the revision of the core HTTP document set in the RFC723x series, the
Working Group published HTTP/2, which defines an alternative mapping of
HTTP's semantics to TCP, and introduced new capabilities, like Server Push.

Additionally, several ambiguities, interoperability issues and errata have
been identified since their publication.

The Working Group will revise the "core" HTTP document set (RFC 7230-RFC
7235) to:

* Incorporate errata

* Address ambiguities

* Fix editorial problems which have led to misunderstandings of the
specification

* Clarify conformance requirements

* Remove known ambiguities where they affect interoperability

* Clarify existing methods of extensibility

* Remove or deprecate those features that are not widely implemented and also
unduly affect interoperability

* Where necessary, add implementation advice

In doing so, it should consider:

* Implementer experience

* Demonstrated use of HTTP

* Impact on existing implementations and deployments

# HTTP and QUIC

Upon request from the QUIC Working Group, the HTTPBIS Working Group will
review the QUIC Working Group's documents regarding the use of HTTP over the
transport protocol they define, providing feedback and collaborating where
necessary.

Once the QUIC Working Group publishes the expression of HTTP semantics in
QUIC (HTTP/3), the HTTPBIS Working Group will maintain and develop extensions
for HTTP/3 as necessary. This includes ancillary specifications (e.g. QPACK).

# Other HTTP-Related Work

The Working Group may define extensions and other documents related to HTTP
as work items, provided that:

* They are generic; i.e., not specific to one application using HTTP. Note
that Web browsing by definition is a generic use.

* The Working Group Chairs judge that there is consensus to take on the item
and believe that it will not interfere with the work described above, and

* The Area Director approves the addition and add corresponding milestones.

Milestones:

  May 2016 - Submit the Key HTTP Response Header Field for consideration as a
  Proposed Standard