The I-JSON Message Format
draft-ietf-json-i-json-02

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Network Working Group                                       T. Bray, Ed.
Internet-Draft                                       Textuality Services
Intended status: Standards Track                           June 30, 2014
Expires: January 1, 2015

                       The I-JSON Message Format
                       draft-ietf-json-i-json-02

Abstract

   I-JSON is a restricted profile of JSON designed to maximize
   interoperability and increase confidence that software can process it
   successfully with predictable results.

Status of This Memo

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

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   This Internet-Draft will expire on January 1, 2015.

Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2014 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
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   publication of this document.  Please review these documents
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   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.

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Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
     1.1.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
     1.2.  Requirements Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  I-JSON Messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     2.1.  Encoding and Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     2.2.  Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
     2.3.  Object constraints  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  Software Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   4.  Protocol-design Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     4.1.  Top-level Constructs  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     4.2.  Must-ignore Policy  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     4.3.  Time and Date Handling  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     4.4.  Binary Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   5.  Acknowledgements  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   6.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   7.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6

1.  Introduction

   RFC7159 describes the JSON data interchange format, which is widely
   used in Internet protocols.  For historical reasons, that
   specification allows the use of language idioms and text encoding
   patterns which are likely to lead to interoperability problems and
   software breakage, particularly when a program receiving JSON data
   uses automated software to map it into native programming-language
   structures or database records.  RFC 7149 describes practices which
   may be used to avoid these interoperability problems.

   This document specifies I-JSON, short for "Internet JSON".  The unit
   of definition is the "I-JSON message".  I-JSON messages are also
   "JSON texts" as defined in RFC7159 but with certain extra constraints
   which enforce the good interoperability practices described in that
   specification.

1.1.  Terminology

   The terms "object", "member", "array", "number", "name", and "string"
   in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 7159
   [RFC7159].

1.2.  Requirements Language

   The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
   "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
   document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119 [RFC2119].

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2.  I-JSON Messages

   An I-JSON message is a JSON text, as defined by RFC 7159.

2.1.  Encoding and Characters

   I-JSON messages MUST be encoded using UTF-8 [RFC3629].

   Object member names, and string values in arrays and object members,