name: Technology Standards Vocabulary
description: >-
  Domain vocabulary for technology standards development, standards bodies, and the
  normative frameworks that govern internet protocols, API security, and data exchange.
tags:
  - IEEE
  - IETF
  - ISO
  - Protocols
  - Standards
  - Technology Standards
  - W3C
created: '2026-05-03'
modified: '2026-05-03'
terms:
  - term: Standard
    definition: >-
      A formal, authoritative document developed and maintained by a recognized
      standards body that defines requirements, guidelines, or characteristics
      for technologies, systems, or processes to ensure interoperability,
      quality, and consistency.
    synonyms:
      - Technical Standard
      - Normative Standard
    relatedTerms:
      - Standards Body
      - RFC

  - term: RFC
    definition: >-
      Request for Comments - the publication format of the IETF. RFCs define
      internet protocols and best practices. Progresses from Internet Draft to
      Proposed Standard to Internet Standard. Each RFC is immutable; updates
      are handled via new RFCs that update or obsolete earlier ones.
    synonyms:
      - Request for Comments
      - Internet Standard
    relatedTerms:
      - IETF
      - BCP

  - term: IETF
    definition: >-
      Internet Engineering Task Force - the principal technical body for developing
      internet protocol standards. IETF operates through working groups and publishes
      standards as RFCs. Key API-related RFCs include OAuth 2.0 (RFC 6749), HTTP
      Semantics (RFC 9110), JWT (RFC 7519), and JSON (RFC 8259).
    synonyms:
      - Internet Engineering Task Force
    relatedTerms:
      - RFC
      - BCP
      - Working Group

  - term: W3C
    definition: >-
      World Wide Web Consortium - the international standards organization for the
      World Wide Web. W3C standards (called Recommendations) govern web technologies
      including HTML, CSS, XML, RDF, JSON-LD, CORS, and WebAuthn.
    synonyms:
      - World Wide Web Consortium
    relatedTerms:
      - Recommendation
      - Working Group

  - term: IEEE
    definition: >-
      Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers - a professional organization
      that develops standards for electronics, electrical engineering, and computer
      science. IEEE 802 standards govern networking and wireless communications.
    synonyms:
      - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
    relatedTerms:
      - Standard

  - term: OASIS
    definition: >-
      Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards - a
      nonprofit standards consortium that produces web services, cybersecurity,
      and IoT standards. OASIS standards include SAML, WS-Security, OData,
      MQTT, and AMQP.
    synonyms:
      - Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards
    relatedTerms:
      - SAML
      - AMQP
      - OData

  - term: OAuth 2.0
    definition: >-
      An authorization framework (RFC 6749) that enables third-party applications
      to obtain limited access to user accounts on HTTP services. Defines
      authorization flows including Authorization Code, Client Credentials,
      Device Code, and Implicit (deprecated). The foundation of modern API security.
    synonyms:
      - OAuth2
      - Open Authorization
    relatedTerms:
      - OpenID Connect
      - JWT
      - Bearer Token

  - term: OpenID Connect
    definition: >-
      An identity layer built on top of OAuth 2.0 that allows clients to verify
      user identity and obtain basic profile information. Adds ID tokens (JWT) to
      the OAuth 2.0 authorization code flow.
    synonyms:
      - OIDC
    relatedTerms:
      - OAuth 2.0
      - JWT

  - term: JWT
    definition: >-
      JSON Web Token (RFC 7519) - a compact, URL-safe means of representing claims
      between two parties. Consists of header, payload, and signature. Used as
      bearer tokens in OAuth 2.0 and as ID tokens in OpenID Connect.
    synonyms:
      - JSON Web Token
      - Bearer Token
    relatedTerms:
      - OAuth 2.0
      - OpenID Connect

  - term: SAML
    definition: >-
      Security Assertion Markup Language - an XML-based open standard for exchanging
      authentication and authorization data between identity providers and service
      providers. Commonly used for enterprise single sign-on (SSO).
    synonyms:
      - Security Assertion Markup Language
    relatedTerms:
      - OAuth 2.0
      - OpenID Connect

  - term: TLS
    definition: >-
      Transport Layer Security - the cryptographic protocol that provides secure
      communications over a network. TLS 1.3 (RFC 8446) is the current version.
      Required for all HTTPS connections and forms the security foundation for APIs.
    synonyms:
      - Transport Layer Security
      - SSL/TLS
    relatedTerms:
      - HTTPS

  - term: HTTP
    definition: >-
      HyperText Transfer Protocol - the foundation of data communication on the Web.
      HTTP/1.1 (RFC 7230-7235, superseded by RFC 9110-9114), HTTP/2 (RFC 9113), and
      HTTP/3 (RFC 9114) define the current state of web communication.
    synonyms:
      - HyperText Transfer Protocol
      - HTTP/2
      - HTTP/3
    relatedTerms:
      - REST
      - TLS

  - term: Interoperability
    definition: >-
      The ability of different systems, devices, applications, or products to
      communicate and work together effectively. The primary purpose of technology
      standards is to ensure interoperability.
    synonyms:
      - Interop
    relatedTerms:
      - Standard
      - Conformance

  - term: Working Group
    definition: >-
      A focused group within a standards body responsible for developing one or more
      specific standards. IETF Working Groups operate on specific chartered work items;
      W3C Working Groups produce Recommendations.
    synonyms:
      - WG
      - Technical Committee
    relatedTerms:
      - IETF
      - W3C