RFC(Request for Comments):

Short for Request for Comments, a series of notes about the Internet,
started in 1969 (when the Internet was the ARPANET). An Internet
Document can be submitted to the IETF by anyone, but the IETF decides if
the document becomes an RFC. Eventually, if it gains enough interest, it
may evolve into an Internet standard.
Each RFC is designated by an RFC number. Once published, an RFC
never changes. Modifications to an original RFC are assigned a new RFC
number.
RFC (Request for Comments) documents have been used by the
Internet community for more than 40 years as a way to define new
standards and share technical information. Researchers from universities
and corporations publish these documents to offer best practices and solicit
feedback on Internet technologies. RFCs are managed today by a
worldwide organization called the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
The very first RFCs including RFC 1 were published in 1969. Although
the "host software" technology discussed in RFC 1 has long since become

obsolete, documents like this one offer a very interesting glimpse into the
early days of computer networking. Even today, the plain text format of the
RFC remains essentially the same as it has since the beginning.
Many popular computer networking technologies in their early stages
of development have been documented in RFCs over the years including

Internet domain name concepts (RFC 1034)

Address allocation for private intranets (RFC 1918)

HTTP (RFC 1945)

DHCP (RFC 2131)

IPv6 (RFC 2460)

Even though the basic technologies of the Internet have matured, the
RFC process continues running via the IETF. Documents are drafted and
progress through several stages of review before final ratification. The
topics covered in RFCs are intended for highly-specialized professional and
academic research audiences. Rather than Facebook-style public comment
postings, comments on RFC documents are instead given through the RFC
Editor site (rfc-editor.org)

RFC 1034:
This RFC is the revised basic definition of The Domain Name System.
It obsoletes RFC-882. This memo describes the domain style names and
their used for host address look up and electronic mail forwarding. It
discusses the clients and servers in the domain name system and the
protocol used between them.

RFC 1918 (Intranets):

This document describes address allocation for private internets.
This document specifies an Internet Best Current Practices for the Internet
Community, and requests discussion and suggestions for improvements.

RFC 1945 (HTTP):

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is an application-level
protocol with the lightness and speed necessary for distributed,
collaborative, hypermedia information systems. This memo provides

information for the Internet community. This memo does not specify an
Internet standard of any kind.

RFC 2131 (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol):

The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) provides a
framework for passing configuration information to hosts on a TCPIP
network. DHCP is based on the Bootstrap Protocol (BOOTP), adding the
capability of automatic allocation of reusable network addresses and
additional configuration options. [STANDARDS-TRACK]

RFC 2460 (IPv6 ):

This document specifies version 6 of the Internet Protocol (IPv6),
also sometimes referred to as IP Next Generation or IPng.
[STANDARDS-TRACK]

Some RFCs are informational in nature. Of those that are

intended to become Internet standards, the final version of the RFC

becomes the standard and no further comments or changes are

permitted. Change can occur, however, through subsequent RFCs that
supersede or elaborate on all or parts of previous RFCs.

The rfcs are unusual in that they are floated by technical

experts acting on their own initiative and reviewed by the
Internet at large, rather than formally promulgated through an
institution such as ANSI. For this reason, they remain
known as rfcs even once adopted as standards.

A formal Internet standard is formed when an RFC goes through

committee drafting and review until the final version of the RFC is ratified,
at which time no further comments or changes are allowed. Other RFCs
are not ratified, and instead retain an "informational" or "experimental"
status. For example, the original File Transfer Protocol standard was
published as RFC 114 in April of 1971. This was later replaced by RFC 765
in 1980 and finally RFC 959. So, as technology advances, RFCs are
updated as well.

The most common meaning for the word standard on the Internet is
probably 'current (i.e. non-obsoleted) RFC'. This isn't quite as rigorous a
concept as it may sound. RFCs are an enumerated series of documents
issued by the IETF, varying greatly in their nature and status. Some of
them are often called standards - this may apply even to RFCs which
explicitly state that they do not define a standard of any kind! - but
according to the official terminology, only a few of them have been
designated as Internet standards. An Internet standard has, in addition to
an RFC number, an STD number, which does not change even if the RFC
number is changed; for example, the IP protocol is defined by STD 5 which
is currently RFC 791.
Only a few Internet standards have the status "required", which means that
they shall be applied everywhere on the Internet; other Internet standards
are "recommended" or just "elective". The "required" standards mostly
define the fundamental protocols which are indispensable for the whole
operation of the Internet.