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A Media Type Structured Syntax Suffix for JSON Text Sequences
draft-wilde-json-seq-suffix-03

The information below is for an old version of the document that is already published as an RFC.
Document Type
This is an older version of an Internet-Draft that was ultimately published as RFC 8091.
Author Erik Wilde
Last updated 2017-02-16 (Latest revision 2016-12-31)
Replaces draft-json-seq-suffix
RFC stream Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)
Intended RFC status Informational
Formats
Reviews
Stream WG state (None)
Document shepherd Brian Raymor
Shepherd write-up Show Last changed 2016-12-11
IESG IESG state Became RFC 8091 (Informational)
Action Holders
(None)
Consensus boilerplate Yes
Telechat date (None)
Responsible AD Alexey Melnikov
Send notices to "Brian Raymor" <brian.raymor@microsoft.com>
IANA IANA review state Version Changed - Review Needed
IANA action state RFC-Ed-Ack
draft-wilde-json-seq-suffix-03
Network Working Group                                           E. Wilde
Internet-Draft                                           CA Technologies
Intended status: Informational                         December 31, 2016
Expires: July 4, 2017

     A Media Type Structured Syntax Suffix for JSON Text Sequences
                     draft-wilde-json-seq-suffix-03

Abstract

   Structured Syntax Suffixes for media types allow other media types to
   build on them and make it explicit that they are built on an existing
   media type as their foundation.  This specification defines and
   registers "+json-seq" as a structured syntax suffix for JSON Text
   Sequences.

Note to Readers

   [[ The RFC Editor is requested to remove this section at publication.
   ]]

   This draft should be discussed on the ietf mailing list
   (<https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/ietf>).

   Online access to all versions and files is available on GitHub
   (<https://github.com/dret/I-D/tree/master/json-seq-suffix>).

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 http://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 July 4, 2017.

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Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2016 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
   (http://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 Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of
   the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as
   described in the Simplified BSD License.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   3.  The "+json-seq" Structured Syntax Suffix  . . . . . . . . . .   3
   4.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   5.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   6.  References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     6.1.  Normative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
     6.2.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   Appendix A.  Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   5

1.  Introduction

   Media Type Structured Syntax Suffixes [RFC6838] were introduced as a
   way for a media type to signal that it is based on another media type
   as its foundation.  Some structured syntax suffixes were registered
   initially [RFC6839], including "+json" for the widely popular JSON
   Format [RFC7159].

   JSON Text Sequences [RFC7464] is a recent specification in the JSON
   space that defines how a sequence of multiple JSON texts can be
   represented in one representation.  This document defines and
   registers the "+json-seq" structured syntax suffix in the Structured
   Syntax Suffix Registry.

2.  Terminology

   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 [RFC2119].

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3.  The "+json-seq" Structured Syntax Suffix

   The use case for the "+json-seq" structured syntax suffix is the same
   as for "+json": It SHOULD be used by media types when parsing the
   JSON Text Sequence of a media type leads to a meaningful result, by
   simply using the generic JSON Text Sequence processing.

   Applications encountering such a media type can then either simply
   use generic processing if all they need is a generic view of the JSON
   Text Sequence, or they can use generic JSON Text Sequence tools for
   initial parsing, and then can implement their own specific processing
   on top of that generic parsing tool.

4.  IANA Considerations

   Structured Syntax Suffixes are registered within the "Structured
   Syntax Suffix Registry" maintained at
   <https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-type-structured-suffix>.

   IANA is requested to register the "+json-seq" structured syntax
   suffix in accordance with [RFC6838].

      Name: JSON Text Sequence

      +suffix: +json-seq

      References: [RFC7464], RFC [[ RFC Editor, please insert assigned
      RFC number. ]]

      Encoding considerations: See [RFC7464] Section 2.2

      Fragment identifier considerations: The syntax and semantics of
      fragment identifiers specified for +json-seq SHOULD be as
      specified for "application/json-seq".  (At publication of this
      document, there is no fragment identification syntax defined for
      "application/json-seq".)

         The syntax and semantics for fragment identifiers for a
         specific "xxx/yyy+json-seq" SHOULD be processed as follows:

            For cases defined in +json-seq, where the fragment
            identifier resolves per the +json-seq rules, then process as
            specified in +json-seq.

            For cases defined in +json-seq, where the fragment
            identifier does not resolve per the +json-seq rules, then
            process as specified in "xxx/yyy+json-seq".

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            For cases not defined in +json-seq, then process as
            specified in "xxx/yyy+json-seq".

      Interoperability considerations: n/a

      Security considerations: See [RFC7464] Section 3

      Contact: Applications and Real-Time Area Discussion
      (art@ietf.org), or any IESG designated successor.

      Author/Change controller: The Applications and Real-Time Area
      Working Group.  IESG has change control over this registration.

5.  Security Considerations

   All the security considerations of JSON Text Sequences [RFC7464]
   apply.  They are as follows:

   All the security considerations of JSON [RFC7159] apply.  This format
   provides no cryptographic integrity protection of any kind.

   As usual, parsers must operate on input that is assumed to be
   untrusted.  This means that parsers must fail gracefully in the face
   of malicious inputs.

   Note that incremental JSON text parsers can produce partial results
   and later indicate failure to parse the remainder of a text.  A
   sequence parser that uses an incremental JSON text parser might treat
   a sequence like '<RS>"foo"<LF>456<LF><RS>' as a sequence of one
   element ("foo"), while a sequence parser that uses a non-incremental
   JSON text parser might treat the same sequence as being empty.  This
   effect, and texts that fail to parse and are ignored, can be used to
   smuggle data past sequence parsers that don't warn about JSON text
   failures.

   Repeated parsing and re-encoding of a JSON text sequence can result
   in the addition (or stripping) of trailing LF bytes from (to)
   individual sequence element JSON texts.  This can break signature
   validation.  JSON has no canonical form for JSON texts, therefore
   neither does the JSON text sequence format.

6.  References

6.1.  Normative References

   [RFC2119]  Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate
              Requirement Levels", RFC 2119, March 1997.

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   [RFC6838]  Freed, N., Klensin, J., and T. Hansen, "Media Type
              Specifications and Registration Procedures", BCP 13,
              RFC 6838, DOI 10.17487/RFC6838, January 2013,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6838>.

   [RFC7464]  Williams, N., "JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Text
              Sequences", RFC 7464, DOI 10.17487/RFC7464, February 2015,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7464>.

6.2.  Informative References

   [RFC6839]  Hansen, T. and A. Melnikov, "Additional Media Type
              Structured Syntax Suffixes", RFC 6839,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC6839, January 2013,
              <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc6839>.

   [RFC7159]  Bray, T., Ed., "The JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) Data
              Interchange Format", RFC 7159, DOI 10.17487/RFC7159, March
              2014, <http://www.rfc-editor.org/info/rfc7159>.

Appendix A.  Acknowledgements

   Thanks for comments and suggestions provided by Ben Campbell, Allan
   Doyle, Warren Kumari, Sean Leonard, Alexey Melnikov, Brian Raymor,
   and Peter Yee.

Author's Address

   Erik Wilde
   CA Technologies

   Email: erik.wilde@dret.net
   URI:   http://dret.net/netdret/

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