Internet Message Format

This specification has been revised 4 times since RFC 724 (1977). Each document below formally obsoleted the one before it; the versions still in force are listed first.

Revision timeline

Current version — implement against this

RFC 5322Internet Message FormatUpdated
October 2008draft standard

Superseded versions — historical reference only

RFC 724Proposed official standard for the format of ARPA Network messagesObsoleted
May 1977replaced by RFC733
RFC 733Standard for the format of ARPA network text messagesObsoleted
November 1977replaced by RFC822
RFC 822STANDARD FOR THE FORMAT OF ARPA INTERNET TEXT MESSAGESObsoleted
August 1982internet standardreplaced by RFC2822
RFC 2822Internet Message FormatObsoleted
April 2001proposed standardreplaced by RFC5322

This lineage is derived automatically from the “obsoletes” relationships recorded in the public RFC Editor index — no editorial judgement is applied to the ordering. The most recent document in the chain is RFC 5322 (October 2008).