httprfc

What's the correct or proper way to read RFCs on HTTP?

From Wikipedia:

"The first definition of HTTP/1.1, the version of HTTP in common use, occurred in RFC 2068 in 1997, although this was obsoleted by RFC 2616 in 1999 and then again by RFC 7230 and family in 2014."

"The HTTP/2 specification was published as RFC 7540 in May 2015."

Should I then read all the RFCs in the mentioning order or just the newest 'RFC 7230 and family'(what family?) because it contains all information already sorted out?

Generally are RFCs updates incremental or fully-merged?

Solution

  • You read RFC7230 (and family, by which is meant the other RFC723x HTTP RFCs):

    This document is the first in a series of documents that collectively form the HTTP/1.1 specification:

    1. "Message Syntax and Routing" (this document)
    1. "Semantics and Content" [RFC7231]
    1. "Conditional Requests" [RFC7232]
    1. "Range Requests" [RFC7233]
    1. "Caching" [RFC7234]
    1. "Authentication" [RFC7235]

    Obsoleted means that the previous version no longer applies, and should not need to be referred to or quoted (and, especially, shouldn't be quoted in support of answers you may give on SO :-))