1.3. Terminology

Terminology in this document is based on the common case where the SVCB record is used to access a resource identified by a URI whose authority field contains a DNS hostname as the host.

• The "service" is the information source identified by the authority and scheme of the URI, capable of providing access to the resource. For "https" URIs, the "service" corresponds to an "origin" [RFC6454].

• The "service name" is the host portion of the authority.

• The "authority endpoint" is the authority's hostname and a port number implied by the scheme or specified in the URI.

• An "alternative endpoint" is a hostname, port number, and other associated instructions to the client on how to reach an instance of a service.

Additional DNS terminology intends to be consistent with [DNSTerm].

SVCB is a contraction of "service binding". The SVCB RR, HTTPS RR, and future RR types that share SVCB's formats and registry are collectively known as SVCB-compatible RR types. The contraction "SVCB" is also used to refer to this system as a whole.

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "NOT RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in BCP 14 [RFC2119] [RFC8174] when, and only when, they appear in all capitals, as shown here.