(
Request
For
Comments) A document that describes the specifications for a recommended technology. Although the word "request" is in the title, if the specification is ratified, it becomes a standards document. Not all RFCs become standards; some are designated indefinitely with Informational or Experimental status.
RFCs are used by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and other standards bodies. First used during the creation of the ARPAnet protocols back in the 1970s, the IETF has published several thousand RFCs. See
Internet Engineering Task Force.