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ObsoletedPROPOSED STANDARDIETF stream

RFC 3490: Internationalizing Domain Names in Applications (IDNA)

This RFC has been replaced. Do not implement against it for new work — it was formally obsoleted by RFC 5890, RFC 5891.

Current document in this lineage: RFC 5890 — Internationalized Domain Names for Applications (IDNA): Definitions and Document Framework; RFC 5891 — Internationalized Domain Names in Applications (IDNA): Protocol

In plain English — editorial summary, not part of the RFC

Until now, there has been no standard method for domain names to use characters outside the ASCII repertoire. This document defines internationalized domain names (IDNs) and a mechanism called Internationalizing Domain Names in Applications (IDNA) for handling them in a standard fashion. IDNs use characters drawn from a large repertoire (Unicode), but IDNA allows the non-ASCII characters to be represented using only the ASCII characters already allowed in so-called host names today. This backward-compatible representation is required in existing protocols like DNS, so that IDNs can be introduced with no changes to the existing infrastructure. IDNA is only meant for processing domain names, not free text. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

Document record

Document ID
RFC3490
Published
March 2003
Authors
P. Faltstrom; P. Hoffman; A. Costello
Status
PROPOSED STANDARD
Stream
IETF
Area
app
Pages
22
Also known as
—
Obsoleted by:
RFC 5890, RFC 5891

Topics

Standards lineage

This document is one revision in a chain of 4 RFCs, each formally replacing the one before it.

  1. RFC 3490 (2003)
  2. RFC 3491 (2003)
  3. RFC 5890 (2010)
  4. RFC 5891 (2010) ✓

Read the full history of Internationalized Domain Names in Applications (IDNA): Protocol →

Referenced by

2 later RFCs formally update or obsolete part of this document.

Related documents

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About this page

The document record above — title, authors, date, status, stream, area, relationships, DOI and errata — is imported verbatim from the public RFC Editor index. The “in plain English” section is editorial: written by The metasystema editorial team, not part of the RFC. Where the two differ, the RFC text governs.

Last checked against the RFC Editor index on . RFCs are never revised after publication; changes are issued as new documents.

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canonical URL: /rfc/3490-internationalizing-domain-names-in-applications-idna