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SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS settings parameter for HTTP/2 and HTTP/3
draft-momoka-httpbis-settings-enable-websockets-01

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This is an older version of an Internet-Draft whose latest revision state is "Expired".
Author Momoka Yamamoto
Last updated 2023-02-27
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draft-momoka-httpbis-settings-enable-websockets-01
HTTP                                             山本 桃歌 (M. Yamamoto)
Internet-Draft                      The University of Tokyo/WIDE Project
Updates: 8441, 9220 (if approved)                       28 February 2023
Intended status: Standards Track                                        
Expires: 1 September 2023

  SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS settings parameter for HTTP/2 and HTTP/3
           draft-momoka-httpbis-settings-enable-websockets-01

Abstract

   This document proposes a new HTTP settings parameter,
   SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS.  This parameter indicates whether the
   server supports bootstrapping WebSockets over the established
   connection.

Discussion Venues

   This note is to be removed before publishing as an RFC.

   Discussion of this document takes place on the HTTP Working Group
   mailing list (ietf-http-wg@w3.org), which is archived at
   https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/ietf-http-wg/.

   Source for this draft and an issue tracker can be found at
   https://github.com/momoka0122y/draft-settings-enable-websockets.

Status of This Memo

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

   Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
   Task Force (IETF).  Note that other groups may also distribute
   working documents as Internet-Drafts.  The list of current Internet-
   Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/.

   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."

   This Internet-Draft will expire on 1 September 2023.

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Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2023 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
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/
   license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document.
   Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
   and restrictions with respect to this document.  Code Components
   extracted from this document must include Revised BSD License text as
   described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are
   provided without warranty as described in the Revised BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  The SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS Setting  . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   4.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     4.1.  HTTP/2 Setting  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     4.2.  HTTP/3 Setting  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   5.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     5.1.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
     5.2.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5

1.  Introduction

   The mechanisms for running the WebSocket protocol [RFC6455] over a
   single stream of an HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 connection is defined in
   [RFC8441] and [RFC9220].  The extended CONNECT mechanism is used for
   bootstrapping WebSockets from HTTP/2 and HTTP/3.  Support for the
   extended CONNECT mechanism is advertised using HTTP/2 and HTTP/3
   settings parameter SETTINGS_ENABLE_CONNECT_PROTOCOL.

   However, the support of extended CONNECT does not necessarily
   indicate support for WebSockets over that HTTP connection.  Other
   protocols such as [WEBTRANSPORT] also use extended CONNECT and send
   SETTINGS_ENABLE_CONNECT_PROTOCOL settings parameters as well.

   Suppose the server supports Extended CONNECT and has a wss::// URL,
   but does not support bootstrapping WebSockets over this HTTP
   connection.  In this case, a client attempting to initiate a
   WebSocket handshake using Extended CONNECT will fail, and the client
   would need to create a WebSocket connection using the HTTP/1.1
   Upgrade mechanism.

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   This is why a SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS settings parameter is
   needed.

2.  The SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS Setting

   This document defines the SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS parameter for
   HTTP/2 and HTTP/3.  A server can send this setting to inform a client
   that it supports bootstrapping WebSockets over the HTTP connection.

   The value of the parameter MUST be 0 or 1, with 0 being the default.

   If the server supports bootstrapping WebSockets over the HTTP
   connection, it SHOULD include the SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS
   parameter in the SETTINGS frame with a value of 1.  If the server
   does not support bootstrapping WebSockets over the HTTP connection it
   SHOULD send the parameter with a value of 0.

   A server MUST NOT send a SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS parameter with
   the value of 0 after previously sending a value of 1.

   A client MUST NOT send this setting parameter.  Receipt of this
   parameter by a server does not have any impact.

   The SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS parameter is an explicit signal about
   the server support for bootstrapping WebSockets on the connection.
   Where a server declares it does not support WebSockets, clients can
   avoid sending WebSocket handshake requests that would fail.  This
   saves unnecessary work for both client and server, and potentially
   reduces delays.  For instance, a client that learns an HTTP/2 or
   HTTP/3 connection does not support WebSockets via the setting, could
   instead attempt to create a WebSocket using the HTTP/1.1 Upgrade
   mechanism at the immediate moment it is required.

   Other protocols also rely on the extended CONNECT extension for
   bootstrapping.  This mechanism provides clients with a stronger
   signal about whether the WebSocket protocol is supported on a
   connection.  This can help improve compatibility with other extended
   CONNECT-based protocols by avoiding the client making assumption
   about the supported protocols.

   Clients that do not implement this extension will not be able to use
   its signal.  In order to support legacy deployments, clients MAY
   initiate a WebSocket request when they receive
   SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS with a value of 0, or if the parameter is
   omitted from received settings.  Such requests could fail,
   introducing additional latency, which this extension is intended to
   help avoid.

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   A server that sends SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS with a value of 0 or
   omits the parameter MUST NOT treat reception of the a WebSocket
   request as a stream or connection error.  Instead, the server can
   reject the request with a suitable status code.

3.  Security Considerations

   This document introduces no new security considerations beyond those
   discussed in [RFC8441].

4.  IANA Considerations

4.1.  HTTP/2 Setting

   IANA is requested to register the following entry in the "HTTP/2
   Settings" registry maintained at <https://www.iana.org/assignments/
   http2-parameters>:

   Code: TBD

   Name: SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS

   Initial Value: 0

   Specification: This document

4.2.  HTTP/3 Setting

   IANA is requested to register the following entry in the "HTTP/3
   Settings" registry maintained at <https://www.iana.org/assignments/
   http3-parameters>:

   Value: TBD

   Setting Name: SETTINGS_ENABLE_WEBSOCKETS

   Default: 0

   Status: provisional

   Reference: This document

   Change Controller: Momoka Yamamoto (IETF if this document is
   approved)

   Contact: Momoka Yamamoto (HTTP_WG; HTTP working group; ietf-http-
   wg@w3.org if this document is approved)

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5.  References

5.1.  Normative References

   [HTTP]     Fielding, R., Ed., Nottingham, M., Ed., and J. Reschke,
              Ed., "HTTP Semantics", RFC 9110, DOI 10.17487/RFC9110,
              April 2022, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9110>.

   [HTTP/2]   Thomson, M., Ed. and C. Benfield, Ed., "HTTP/2", RFC 9113,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9113, April 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9113>.

   [HTTP/3]   Bishop, M., Ed., "Hypertext Transfer Protocol Version 3
              (HTTP/3)", RFC 9114, DOI 10.17487/RFC9114, April 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9114>.

   [RFC6455]  Fette, I. and A. Melnikov, "The WebSocket Protocol",
              RFC 6455, DOI 10.17487/RFC6455, December 2011,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6455>.

   [RFC8441]  McManus, P., "Bootstrapping WebSockets with HTTP/2",
              RFC 8441, DOI 10.17487/RFC8441, September 2018,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8441>.

   [RFC9220]  Hamilton, R., "Bootstrapping WebSockets with HTTP/3",
              RFC 9220, DOI 10.17487/RFC9220, June 2022,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9220>.

5.2.  Informative References

   [WEBTRANSPORT]
              Vasiliev, V., "The WebTransport Protocol Framework", Work
              in Progress, Internet-Draft, draft-ietf-webtrans-overview-
              05, 24 January 2023,
              <https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/draft-ietf-
              webtrans-overview-05>.

Acknowledgments

   TODO acknowledge people.

   Thank you for reading this draft. :)

Author's Address

   Momoka Yamamoto
   The University of Tokyo/WIDE Project
   Japan

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   Email: momoka.my6@gmail.com

   Additional contact information:

      山本 桃歌
      Japan
      The University of Tokyo/WIDE Project

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