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RFC 5322: Internet Message Format

Still current, but amended. Parts of this document are changed or extended by RFC 6854. Read both.

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

RFC 5322 defines the format of an email message itself: the header block (From, To, Subject, Date, Message-ID), how header fields fold across lines, and the address syntax that email validators endlessly try and fail to reproduce with a regular expression. It describes the message; RFC 5321 describes how the message is transported.

Original abstract from the RFC

This document specifies the Internet Message Format (IMF), a syntax for text messages that are sent between computer users, within the framework of "electronic mail" messages. This specification is a revision of Request For Comments (RFC) 2822, which itself superseded Request For Comments (RFC) 822, "Standard for the Format of ARPA Internet Text Messages", updating it to reflect current practice and incorporating incremental changes that were specified in other RFCs. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

Document record

Document ID
RFC5322
Published
October 2008
Authors
P. Resnick
Status
DRAFT STANDARD
Stream
IETF
Area
—
Pages
57
Also known as
—
Obsoletes:
RFC 2822
Updates:
RFC 4021
Updated by:
RFC 6854

Topics

Standards lineage

This document is one revision in a chain of 5 RFCs, each formally replacing the one before it.

  1. RFC 724 (1977)
  2. RFC 733 (1977)
  3. RFC 822 (1982)
  4. RFC 2822 (2001)
  5. RFC 5322 (2008)

Read the full history of Internet Message Format →

Referenced by

One later RFC formally updates or obsoletes 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/5322-internet-message-format