AppConfig for Mobile Applications
draft-edge-appconfig-00

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Network Working Group                                       C. Edge
INTERNET-DRAFT                                          
Intended Status: Request for Comments              11  March 2021 
Expires: July 2021                      

                    AppConfig for Mobile Applications
                       draft-edge-appconfig-00.txt

Status of This Memo

This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the
Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for
improvements.  Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet
Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state and
status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

   *********************************************************************

This is a DRAFT edition of this statement of the Application
Configuration protocol (AppConfig). Comments are sought on this document
for consideration and possibly incorporated in the final edition.
Comments are especially sought from those actually developing MDM and
MDM solutions, and particular vendors and potential vendors of
applications.

The period for comments is 90 days ending April 30, 2021, at which time
a revised edition will be issued with a new RFC number.

Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months
and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any
time.  It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material
or to cite them other than as "work in progress."

Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task
Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups.  Note that other groups
may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts.

The list of current Internet-Drafts can be accessed at
https://www.ietf.org/1id-abstracts.html

The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at
https://www.ietf.org/shadow.html

This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions
of BCP 78 and BCP 79.
*********************************************************************

C. Edge               Standards Track                     [Page 1]
RFC XXXX          AppConfig for Mobile Applications          March 2021

Abstract 

Many Service Providers offer application configuration options that
manage the state of applications on mobile devices. AppConfig is used to
distribute settings to applications upon installation or updated
arbitrarily via a trusted Mobile Device Management (MDM) service. This
document defines the specification by allowing a standardized format for
data to stream into applications via XML (RFC 3470) or JSON interfaces
(RFC 4627). 

Table of Contents

1. Introduction        3 
1.1 Conventions Used in This Document        3
1.2 Terminology        3 2. Specification of Requirements        3 3.
Requirements        4 4. AppConfig Interaction Procedures        4 4.1
Overview        4 4.2 Details        4 5. AppConfig Standards        5
5.1 App Configuration Container Elements        5 5.2 Existing Key
Standards        5 5.2.1 Backend Configuration        5 5.2.2 User
Configuration        6 5.2.4 App Configuration Settings        6 5.2.4
App Security Restrictions        6 5.2 App Tunnel Container Elements    
   9 5.3 Single Sign On Container Elements        10 6a. Application
Feedback Container Elements        11 7. Security Considerations       
12 Appendix A. Acknowledgements       12 Appendix B. Normative
References        12 Appendix C. Informative References        12

Edge, et al.               Standards Track                     [Page 2]
RFC XXXX          AppConfig for Mobile Applications          March 2021

1. Abstract

Many Service Providers offer application configuration options that
manage the state of applications on mobile devices. AppConfig is used to
distribute settings to applications upon installation or updated
arbitrarily via a trusted Mobile Device Management (MDM) service. This
document defines the specification by allowing a standardized format for
data to stream into applications via XML (RFC 3470) or JSON interfaces
(RFC 4627). 

2. Introduction

AppConfig describes a method by which mobile application vendors can
deploy applications with a payload of standard Extensible Markup
Language (XML) or JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) that configures
settings for application. Settings can include any input streamed to the
device over the Internet, leveraging frameworks from an existing Mobile
Device Management (MDM) solution for authorization to stream settings
into apps at deployment or check-in time.

This provides an improvement to developing independent proprietary
software development kits (SDKs) to enable configuration and management
features of apps through a device management solution. The AppConfig
standard allows developers to implement a consistent set of attributes
to deploy apps through device management platforms alongside their
configuration flow for user credentials for authentication as well as
with custom settings or controls in the apps. Standardization also