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RFC 5322 - Internet Message Format

  • Status: Draft Standard
  • Published: October 2008
  • Stream: IETF
  • Updates: RFC 4021
  • Obsoletes: RFC 2822
  • Updated by: RFC 6854
  • Errata: No Errata

Status of This Memo​

This document specifies an Internet standards track protocol for the Internet community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements. Please refer to the current edition of the "Internet Official Protocol Standards" (STD 1) for the standardization state and status of this protocol. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Abstract​

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 This specification is a revision of Request For Comments (RFC) 2822, which itself superseded Request For Comments (RFC) 822, "Standard for the Format of ARPA Internet Text Messages", updating it to reflect current practice and incorporating incremental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.

Table of Contents​

  • 1. Introduction
    • 1.1. Scope
    • 1.2. Notational Conventions
      • 1.2.1. Requirements Notation
      • 1.2.2. Syntactic Notation
      • 1.2.3. Structure of This Document
  • 2. Lexical Analysis of Messages
    • 2.1. General Description
      • 2.1.1. Line Length Limits
    • 2.2. Header Fields
      • 2.2.1. Unstructured Header Field Bodies
      • 2.2.2. Structured Header Field Bodies
      • 2.2.3. Long Header Fields
    • 2.3. Body
  • 3. Syntax
    • 3.1. Introduction
    • 3.2. Lexical Tokens
      • 3.2.1. Quoted characters
      • 3.2.2. Folding White Space and Comments
      • 3.2.3. Atom
      • 3.2.4. Quoted Strings
      • 3.2.5. Miscellaneous Tokens
    • 3.3. Date and Time Specification
    • 3.4. Address Specification
      • 3.4.1. Addr-Spec Specification
    • 3.5. Overall Message Syntax
    • 3.6. Field Definitions
      • 3.6.1. The Origination Date Field
      • 3.6.2. Originator Fields
      • 3.6.3. Destination Address Fields
      • 3.6.4. Identification Fields
      • 3.6.5. Informational Fields
      • 3.6.6. Resent Fields
      • 3.6.7. Trace Fields
      • 3.6.8. Optional Fields
  • 4. Obsolete Syntax
    • 4.1. Miscellaneous Obsolete Tokens
    • 4.2. Obsolete Folding White Space
    • 4.3. Obsolete Date and Time
    • 4.4. Obsolete Addressing
    • 4.5. Obsolete Header Fields
      • 4.5.1. Obsolete Origination Date Field
      • 4.5.2. Obsolete Originator Fields
      • 4.5.3. Obsolete Destination Address Fields
      • 4.5.4. Obsolete Identification Fields
      • 4.5.5. Obsolete Informational Fields
      • 4.5.6. Obsolete Resent Fields
      • 4.5.7. Obsolete Trace Fields
      • 4.5.8. Obsolete optional fields
  • 5. Security Considerations
  • 6. IANA Considerations
  • 7. References
    • 7.1. Normative References
    • 7.2. Informative References
  • Appendix A. Example Messages
    • A.1. Addressing Examples
      • A.1.1. A Message from One Person to Another with Simple Addressing
      • A.1.2. Different Types of Mailboxes
      • A.1.3. Group Addresses
    • A.2. Reply Messages
    • A.3. Resent Messages
    • A.4. Messages with Trace Fields
    • A.5. White Space, Comments, and Other Oddities
    • A.6. Obsoleted Forms
      • A.6.1. Obsolete Addressing
      • A.6.2. Obsolete Dates
      • A.6.3. Obsolete White Space and Comments
  • Appendix B. Differences from Earlier Specifications
  • Appendix C. Acknowledgements

Author's Address​

Peter W. Resnick (editor) Qualcomm Incorporated 5775 Morehouse Drive San Diego, CA 92121-1714 US

Phone: +1 858 651 4478 EMail: [email protected] URI: http://www.qualcomm.com/~presnick/

Copyright (C) The IETF Trust (2008).

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