---
slug: 1
title: 1/COSS
name: Consensus-Oriented Specification System
status: draft
category: Best Current Practice
editor: Daniel Kaiser <danielkaiser@status.im>
contributors:
  - Oskar Thoren <oskarth@titanproxy.com>
  - Pieter Hintjens <ph@imatix.com>
  - André Rebentisch <andre@openstandards.de>
  - Alberto Barrionuevo <abarrio@opentia.es>
  - Chris Puttick <chris.puttick@thehumanjourney.net>
  - Yurii Rashkovskii <yrashk@gmail.com>
  - Jimmy Debe <jimmy@status.im>
---

This document describes a consensus-oriented specification system (COSS)
for building interoperable technical specifications.
COSS is based on a lightweight editorial process that
seeks to engage the widest possible range of interested parties and
move rapidly to consensus through working code.

This specification is based on [Unprotocols 2/COSS](https://github.com/unprotocols/rfc/blob/master/2/README.md),
used by the [ZeromMQ](https://rfc.zeromq.org/) project.
It is equivalent except for some areas:

- recommending the use of a permissive licenses,
such as CC0 (with the exception of this document);
- miscellaneous metadata, editor, and format/link updates;
- more inheritance from the [IETF Standards Process](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2026.txt),
  e.g. using RFC categories: Standards Track, Informational, and Best Common Practice;
- standards track specifications SHOULD
follow a specific structure that both streamlines editing,
and helps implementers to quickly comprehend the specification
- specifications MUST feature a header providing specific meta information
- raw specifications will not be assigned numbers
- section explaining the [IFT](https://free.technology/)
Request For Comments specification process managed by the Vac service department

## License

Copyright (c) 2008-24 the Editor and Contributors.

This Specification is free software;
you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License
as published by the Free Software Foundation;
either version 3 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This specification is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY;
without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
See the GNU General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
along with this program;
if not, see [gnu.org](http://www.gnu.org/licenses).

## Change Process

This document is governed by the [1/COSS](./coss.md) (COSS).

## Language

The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT", "SHOULD",
"SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED",  "MAY", and
"OPTIONAL" in this document are to be interpreted as described in
[RFC 2119](http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc2119).

## Goals

The primary goal of COSS is to facilitate the process of writing, proving, and
improving new technical specifications.
A "technical specification" defines a protocol, a process, an API, a use of language,
a methodology, or any other aspect of a technical environment that
can usefully be documented for the purposes of technical or social interoperability.

COSS is intended to above all be economical and rapid,
so that it is useful to small teams with little time to spend on more formal processes.

Principles:

- We aim for rough consensus and running code; [inspired by the IETF Tao](https://www.ietf.org/about/participate/tao/).
- Specifications are small pieces, made by small teams.
- Specifications should have a clearly responsible editor.
- The process should be visible, objective, and accessible to anyone.
- The process should clearly separate experiments from solutions.
- The process should allow deprecation of old specifications.

Specifications should take minutes to explain, hours to design, days to write,
weeks to prove, months to become mature, and years to replace.
Specifications have no special status except that accorded by the community.

## Architecture

COSS is designed around fast, easy to use communications tools.
Primarily, COSS uses a wiki model for editing and publishing specifications texts.

- The *domain* is the conservancy for a set of specifications.
- The *domain* is implemented as an Internet domain.
- Each specification is a document together with references and attached resources.
- A *sub-domain* is a initiative under a specific domain.

Individuals can become members of the *domain*
by completing the necessary legal clearance.
The copyright, patent, and trademark policies of the domain must be clarified
in an Intellectual Property policy that applies to the domain.

Specifications exist as multiple pages, one page per version,
(discussed below in "Branching and Merging"),
which should be assigned URIs that MAY include an number identifier.

Thus, we refer to new specifications by specifying its domain,
its sub-domain and short name.
The syntax for a new specification reference is:

    <domain>/<sub-domain>/<shortname>

For example, this specification should be **rfc.vac.dev/vac/COSS**,
if the status were **raw**.

A number will be assigned to the specification when obtaining **draft** status.
New versions of the same specification will be assigned a new number.
The syntax for a specification reference is:

    <domain>/<sub-domain>/<number>/<shortname>

For example, this specification is **rfc.vac.dev/vac/1/COSS**.
The short form **1/COSS** may be used when referring to the specification
from other specifications in the same domain.

Specifications (excluding raw specifications)
carries a different number including branches.

## COSS Lifecycle

Every specification has an independent lifecycle that
documents clearly its current status.
For a specification to receive a lifecycle status,
a new specification SHOULD be presented by the team of the sub-domain.
After discussion amongst the contributors has reached a rough consensus,
as described in [RFC7282](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7282.html),
the specification MAY begin the process to upgrade it's status.

A specification has five possible states that reflect its maturity and
contractual weight:

![Lifecycle diagram](./images/lifecycle.png)

### Raw Specifications

All new specifications are **raw** specifications.
Changes to raw specifications can be unilateral and arbitrary.
A sub-domain MAY use the **raw** status for new specifications
that live under their domain.
Raw specifications have no contractual weight.

### Draft Specifications

When raw specifications can be demonstrated,
they become **draft** specifications and are assigned numbers.
Changes to draft specifications should be done in consultation with users.
Draft specifications are contracts between the editors and implementers.

### Stable Specifications

When draft specifications are used by third parties, they become **stable** specifications.
Changes to stable specifications should be restricted to cosmetic ones,
errata and clarifications.
Stable specifications are contracts between editors, implementers, and end-users.

### Deprecated Specifications

When stable specifications are replaced by newer draft specifications,
they become **deprecated** specifications.
Deprecated specifications should not be changed except
to indicate their replacements, if any.
Deprecated specifications are contracts between editors, implementers and end-users.

### Retired Specifications

When deprecated specifications are no longer used in products,
they become **retired** specifications.
Retired specifications are part of the historical record.
They should not be changed except to indicate their replacements, if any.
Retired specifications have no contractual weight.

### Deleted Specifications

Deleted specifications are those that have not reached maturity (stable) and
were discarded.
They should not be used and are only kept for their historical value.
Only Raw and Draft specifications can be deleted.

## Editorial control

A specification MUST have a single responsible editor,
the only person who SHALL change the status of the specification
through the lifecycle stages.

A specification MAY also have additional contributors who contribute changes to it.
It is RECOMMENDED to use a process similar to [C4 process](https://github.com/unprotocols/rfc/blob/master/1/README.md)
to maximize the scale and diversity of contributions.

Unlike the original C4 process however,
it is RECOMMENDED to use CC0 as a more permissive license alternative.
We SHOULD NOT use GPL or GPL-like license.
One exception is this specification, as this was the original license for this specification.

The editor is responsible for accurately maintaining the state of specifications,
for retiring different versions that may live in other places and
for handling all comments on the specification.

## Branching and Merging

Any member of the domain MAY branch a specification at any point.
This is done by copying the existing text, and
creating a new specification with the same name and content, but a new number.
Since **raw** specifications are not assigned a number,
branching by any member of a sub-domain MAY differentiate specifications
based on date, contributors, or
version number within the document.
The ability to branch a specification is necessary in these circumstances:

- To change the responsible editor for a specification,
with or without the cooperation of the current responsible editor.
- To rejuvenate a specification that is stable but needs functional changes.
This is the proper way to make a new version of a specification
that is in stable or deprecated status.
- To resolve disputes between different technical opinions.

The responsible editor of a branched specification is the person who makes the branch.

Branches, including added contributions, are derived works and
thus licensed under the same terms as the original specification.
This means that contributors are guaranteed the right to merge changes made in branches
back into their original specifications.

Technically speaking, a branch is a *different* specification,
even if it carries the same name.
Branches have no special status except that accorded by the community.

## Conflict resolution

COSS resolves natural conflicts between teams and
vendors by allowing anyone to define a new specification.
There is no editorial control process except
that practised by the editor of a new specification.
The administrators of a domain (moderators)
may choose to interfere in editorial conflicts,
and may suspend or ban individuals for behaviour they consider inappropriate.

## Specification Structure

### Meta Information

Specifications MUST contain the following metadata.
It is RECOMMENDED that specification metadata is specified as a YAML header
(where possible).
This will enable programmatic access to specification metadata.

| Key              | Value                | Type   | Example                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
|------------------|----------------------|--------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **shortname**    | short name           | string | 1/COSS                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| **title**        | full name            | string | Consensus-Oriented Specification System                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| **status**       | status               | string | draft                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| **category**     | category             | string | Best Current Practice                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| **tags**         | 0 or several tags    | list   | waku-application, waku-core-protocol                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| **editor**       | editor name/email    | string | Oskar Thoren <oskarth@titanproxy.com>                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| **contributors** | contributors         | list   | - Pieter Hintjens <ph@imatix.com> - André Rebentisch <andre@openstandards.de> - Alberto Barrionuevo <abarrio@opentia.es> - Chris Puttick <chris.puttick@thehumanjourney.net> - Yurii Rashkovskii <yrashk@gmail.com> |

### IFT/Vac RFC Process

> [!Note]
This section is introduced to allow contributors to understand the IFT
(Institute of Free Technology) Vac RFC specification process.
Other organizations may make changes to this section according to their needs.

Vac is a department under the IFT organization that provides RFC (Request For Comments)
specification services.
This service works to help facilitate the RFC process, assuring standards are followed.
Contributors within the service SHOULD assist a *sub-domain* in creating a new specification,
editing a specification, and
promoting the status of a specification along with other tasks.
Once a specification reaches some level of maturity by rough consensus,
the specification SHOULD enter the [Vac RFC](https://rfc.vac.dev/) process.
Similar to the IETF working group adoption described in [RFC6174](https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc6174.html),
the Vac RFC process SHOULD facilitate all updates to the specification.

Specifications are introduced by projects,
under a specific *domain*, with the intention of becoming technically mature documents.
The IFT domain currently houses the following projects:

- [Status](https://status.app/)
- [Waku](https://waku.org/)
- [Codex](https://codex.storage/)
- [Nimbus](https://nimbus.team/)
- [Nomos](https://nomos.tech/)

When a specification is promoted to *draft* status,
the number that is assigned MAY be incremental
or by the *sub-domain* and the Vac RFC process.
Standards track specifications MUST be based on the
[Vac RFC template](../template.md) before obtaining a new status.
All changes, comments, and contributions SHOULD be documented.

## Conventions

Where possible editors and contributors are encouraged to:

- Refer to and build on existing work when possible, especially IETF specifications.
- Contribute to existing specifications rather than reinvent their own.
- Use collaborative branching and merging as a tool for experimentation.
- Use Semantic Line Breaks: [sembr](https://sembr.org/).

## Appendix A. Color Coding

It is RECOMMENDED to use color coding to indicate specification's status.
Color coded specifications SHOULD use the following color scheme:

- ![raw](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unprotocols/rfc/master/2/raw.svg)
- ![draft](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unprotocols/rfc/master/2/draft.svg)
- ![stable](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unprotocols/rfc/master/2/stable.svg)
- ![deprecated](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unprotocols/rfc/master/2/deprecated.svg)
- ![retired](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unprotocols/rfc/master/2/retired.svg)
- ![deleted](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/unprotocols/rfc/master/2/deleted.svg)
