HTTPAPI Working Group S. Dalal Internet-Draft Intended status: Standards Track E. Wilde Expires: March 8, 2025 September 04, 2024 The Deprecation HTTP Header Field draft-ietf-httpapi-deprecation-header-07 Abstract The Deprecation HTTP response header field is used to signal to consumers of a resource (in the sense of URI) that the resource will be or has been deprecated. Additionally, the deprecation link relation can be used to link to a resource that provides additional information about planned or existing deprecation, and possibly ways in which clients can best manage deprecation. About This Document This note is to be removed before publishing as an RFC. Status information for this document may be found at . Discussion of this document takes place on the HTTPAPI Working Group mailing list (), which is archived at . Subscribe at . Working Group information can be found at . Source for this draft and an issue tracker can be found at . Status of This Memo This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the provisions of BCP 78 and BCP 79. Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). Note that other groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts. The list of current Internet- Drafts is at https://datatracker.ietf.org/drafts/current/. Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for a maximum of six months and may be updated, replaced, or obsoleted by other documents at any Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 1] Internet-Draft The Deprecation HTTP Header Field September 2024 time. It is inappropriate to use Internet-Drafts as reference material or to cite them other than as "work in progress." This Internet-Draft will expire on March 8, 2025. Copyright Notice Copyright (c) 2024 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the document authors. All rights reserved. This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document. Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights and restrictions with respect to this document. Code Components extracted from this document must include Simplified BSD License text as described in Section 4.e of the Trust Legal Provisions and are provided without warranty as described in the Simplified BSD License. Table of Contents 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1.1. Notational Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2. The Deprecation HTTP Response Header Field . . . . . . . . . 3 2.1. Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.2. Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 3. The Deprecation Link Relation Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 3.1. Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 4. Sunset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 5. Resource Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 6. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 6.1. The Deprecation HTTP Response Header Field . . . . . . . 7 6.2. The Deprecation Link Relation Type . . . . . . . . . . . 7 7. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 8. References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 8.1. Normative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 8.2. Informative References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Appendix A. Implementation Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 A.1. Implementing the Deprecation Header Field . . . . . . . . 9 A.2. Implementing the Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Appendix B. Changes from Draft-06 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Appendix C. Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 2] Internet-Draft The Deprecation HTTP Header Field September 2024 1. Introduction Deprecation of an HTTP resource (Section 3.1 of [HTTP]) communicates information about the lifecycle of a resource. It encourages applications to migrate away from the resource, discourages applications from forming new dependencies on the resource, and informs applications about the risk of continued dependence upon the resource. The act of deprecation does not change any behavior of the resource. It informs clients of the fact that a resource will be or is deprecated. The Deprecation HTTP response header field can be used to convey this at runtime to clients and carries information indicating when the deprecation will be in effect. In addition to the Deprecation header field, the resource provider can use other header fields to convey additional information related to deprecation. This can be information such as where to find documentation related to the deprecation, what can be used as a replacement, and when a deprecated resource becomes non-operational. 1.1. Notational Conventions 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. This document uses the terminology from Section 3 of [STRUCTURED-FIELDS] to specify syntax and parsing of Date. The term "resource" is to be interpreted as defined in Section 3.1 of [HTTP]. 2. The Deprecation HTTP Response Header Field The "Deprecation" HTTP response header field allows a server to communicate to a client that the resource in context of the message is or will be deprecated. 2.1. Syntax The "Deprecation" response header field describes the deprecation of the resource identified with the response it occurred within (see Section 6.4.2 of [HTTP]). It conveys the deprecation date, which may be in the future (the resource context will be deprecated at that date) or in the past (the resource context has been deprecated at Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 3] Internet-Draft The Deprecation HTTP Header Field September 2024 that date). "Deprecation" is an Item Structured Header [RFC8941]. Refer to Section 3.3.7 of [STRUCTURED-FIELDS] for "sf-date": Deprecation = sf-date The date is the date when the resource was or will be deprecated. It is in the form of an Structured Field Date as defined in Section 3.3.7 of [STRUCTURED-FIELDS]. The following example shows that the resource context has been deprecated on Friday, June 30, 2023 at 23:59:59 GMT: Deprecation: @1688169599 The deprecation date can be in the future. This means that the resource will be deprecated at the indicated date in the future. 2.2. Scope The Deprecation header field applies to the resource identified with the response it occurred within (see Section 6.4.2 of [HTTP]), meaning that it announces the upcoming deprecation of that specific resource. However, there may be scenarios where the scope of the announced deprecation is larger than just the single resource where it appears. Resources are free to define such an increased scope, and usually this scope will be documented by the resource so that consumers of the resource know about the increased scope and can behave accordingly. When doing so, it is important to take into account that such increased scoping is invisible for consumers who are unaware of the increased scoping rules. This means that these consumers will not be aware of the increased scope, and they will not interpret deprecation information different from its standard meaning (i.e., it applies to the resource only). Using such an increased scope still may make sense, as deprecation information is only a hint anyway. It is optional information that cannot be depended on, and clients should always be implemented in ways that allow them to function without Deprecation information. Increased scope information may help clients to glean additional hints from related resources and, thus, might allow them to implement behavior that allows them to make educated guesses about resources becoming deprecated. For example, an API might not use Deprecation header fields on all of its resources, but only on designated resources such as the API's home document. This means that deprecation information is available, Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 4] Internet-Draft The Deprecation HTTP Header Field September 2024 but in order to get it, clients have to periodically inspect the home document. In this example, the extended context of the Deprecation header field would be all resources provided by the API, while the visibility of the information would only be on the home document. 3. The Deprecation Link Relation Type In addition to the Deprecation HTTP header field, the server can use links with the "deprecation" link relation type to communicate to the client where to find more information about deprecation of the context. This can happen before the actual deprecation, to make a deprecation policy discoverable, or after deprecation, when there may be documentation about the deprecation, and possibly documentation of how to manage it. This specification places no restrictions on the representation of the linked deprecation policy. In particular, the deprecation policy may be available as human-readable documentation or as machine- readable description. 3.1. Documentation The purpose of the "Deprecation" header field is to provide a hint about deprecation to the resource consumer. Upon reception of the "Deprecation" header field, the client developer can look up the resource's documentation in order to find deprecation related information. The documentation MAY provide a guide and timeline to migrate away from the deprecated resource to a new resource(s) replacing the deprecated resource, if applicable. The resource provider can provide a link to the resource documentation using a "Link" header field with relation type "deprecation" as shown below: Link: ; rel="deprecation"; type="text/html" In this example the linked content provides additional information about deprecation of the resource context. There is no Deprecation header field in the response, and thus the resource is not (yet) deprecated. However, the resource already exposes a link where information is available describing how deprecation is managed for the resource. This may be the documentation explaining under which circumstances and with which policies deprecation might take place. For example, a policy may indicate that deprecation of a resource(s) will always be signaled in the dedicated places at least N days ahead of the planned deprecation date and then only the resource(s) would be deprecated. Or a policy may indicate that resource(s) would be deprecated first and then only be signaled as deprecated at dedicated places. The documentation in addition to the deprecation policy may Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 5] Internet-Draft The Deprecation HTTP Header Field September 2024 also provide a migration guide exaplaining to consumers of the resource how to migrate to a new resource(s) or an alternate resource(s) before the deprecation date. Such policy and documentation would be very useful to consumers of the resource to plan ahead and migrate successfully. The following example uses the same link header field, but also announces a deprecation date using a Deprecation header field: Deprecation: @1688169599 Link: ; rel="deprecation"; type="text/html" Given that the deprecation date is in the past, the linked information resource may have been updated to include information about the deprecation, allowing consumers to discover information about the deprecation and how to best manage it. 4. Sunset In addition to the deprecation related information, if the resource provider wants to convey to the client application that the deprecated resource is expected to become unresponsive at a specific point in time, the Sunset HTTP header field [RFC8594] can be used in addition to the "Deprecation" header field. The timestamp given in the "Sunset" header field MUST NOT be earlier than the one given in the "Deprecation" header field. The following example shows that the resource in context has been deprecated since Friday, June 30, 2023 at 23:59:59 GMT and its sunset date is Sunday, June 30, 2024 at 23:59:59 GMT. Please note that for historical reasons the Sunset HTTP header field uses a different data type for date. Deprecation: @1688169599 Sunset: Sun, 30 Jun 2024 23:59:59 GMT 5. Resource Behavior The act of deprecation does not change any behavior of the resource. Deprecated resources SHOULD keep functioning as before, allowing consumers to still use the resources in the same way as they did before the resources were declared deprecated. Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 6] Internet-Draft The Deprecation HTTP Header Field September 2024 6. IANA Considerations 6.1. The Deprecation HTTP Response Header Field The "Deprecation" response header field should be added to the "Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) Field Name Registry" registry (Section 16.3.1 of [HTTP]) Header Field Name: Deprecation Structured Type: Item Status: permanent Specification document: this specification, Section 2 "The Deprecation HTTP Response Header Field" 6.2. The Deprecation Link Relation Type The "deprecation" link relation type should be added to the permanent registry of link relation types (Section 4.2 of [LINK]). Relation Name: deprecation Description: Refers to a resource that is documentation (intended for human consumption) about the deprecation of the link's context. Specification document: this specification, Section 3 "The Deprecation Link Relation Type" 7. Security Considerations The Deprecation header field should be treated as a hint, meaning that the resource is indicating (and not guaranteeing with certainty) that it will be or is deprecated. Deprecated resources MUST function (almost) as before, even though one might consider non-functional details such as making them progressively less efficient with longer response time for example. Resource documentation SHOULD provide additional information about the deprecation, such as including recommendation(s) for replacement. Applications consuming the resource SHOULD check the referred resource documentation to verify authenticity and accuracy. In cases where a "Link" header field is used to provide documentation, one should assume (unless served over HTTPS) that the content of the "Link" header field may not be secure, private or integrity- guaranteed, and due caution should be exercised when using it. Also, in cases where the Deprecation header field value is a date in the future, it can lead to information that otherwise might not be Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 7] Internet-Draft The Deprecation HTTP Header Field September 2024 available. Therefore, applications consuming the resource SHOULD, if possible, consult the resource developer to discuss potential impact due to deprecation and plan for possible transition to a recommended resource(s). 8. References 8.1. Normative References [HTTP] Fielding, R., Ed., Nottingham, M., Ed., and J. Reschke, Ed., "HTTP Semantics", STD 97, RFC 9110, DOI 10.17487/RFC9110, June 2022, . [LINK] Nottingham, M., "Web Linking", RFC 8288, DOI 10.17487/RFC8288, October 2017, . [RFC2119] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, DOI 10.17487/RFC2119, March 1997, . [RFC8174] Leiba, B., "Ambiguity of Uppercase vs Lowercase in RFC 2119 Key Words", BCP 14, RFC 8174, DOI 10.17487/RFC8174, May 2017, . [RFC8594] Wilde, E., "The Sunset HTTP Header Field", RFC 8594, DOI 10.17487/RFC8594, May 2019, . [RFC8941] Nottingham, M. and P. Kamp, "Structured Field Values for HTTP", RFC 8941, DOI 10.17487/RFC8941, February 2021, . [RFC9111] Fielding, R., Ed., Nottingham, M., Ed., and J. Reschke, Ed., "HTTP Caching", STD 98, RFC 9111, DOI 10.17487/RFC9111, June 2022, . [STRUCTURED-FIELDS] Nottingham, M. and P. Kamp, "Structured Field Values for HTTP", draft-ietf-httpbis-sfbis-06 (work in progress), April 2024. Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 8] Internet-Draft The Deprecation HTTP Header Field September 2024 8.2. Informative References [RFC7942] Sheffer, Y. and A. Farrel, "Improving Awareness of Running Code: The Implementation Status Section", BCP 205, RFC 7942, DOI 10.17487/RFC7942, July 2016, . Appendix A. Implementation Status Note to RFC Editor: Please remove this section before publication. This section records the status of known implementations of the protocol defined by this specification at the time of posting of this Internet-Draft, and is based on a proposal described in [RFC7942]. The description of implementations in this section is intended to assist the IETF in its decision processes in progressing drafts to RFCs. Please note that the listing of any individual implementation here does not imply endorsement by the IETF. Furthermore, no effort has been spent to verify the information presented here that was supplied by IETF contributors. This is not intended as, and must not be construed to be, a catalog of available implementations or their features. Readers are advised to note that other implementations may exist. According to RFC 7942, "this will allow reviewers and working groups to assign due consideration to documents that have the benefit of running code, which may serve as evidence of valuable experimentation and feedback that have made the implemented protocols more mature. It is up to the individual working groups to use this information as they see fit". A.1. Implementing the Deprecation Header Field This is a list of implementations that implement the deprecation header field: Organization: Apollo o Description: Deprecation header field is returned when deprecated functionality (as declared in the GraphQL schema) is accessed o Reference: https://www.npmjs.com/package/apollo-server-tools Organization: Zalando o Description: Deprecation header field is recommended as the preferred way to communicate API deprecation in Zalando API designs. Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 9] Internet-Draft The Deprecation HTTP Header Field September 2024 o Reference: https://opensource.zalando.com/restful-api- guidelines/#deprecation Organization: Palantir Technologies o Description: Deprecation header field is incorporated in code generated by conjure-java, a CLI to generate Java POJOs and interfaces from Conjure API definitions o Reference: https://github.com/palantir/conjure-java Organization: IETF Internet Draft, Registration Protocols Extensions o Description: Deprecation link relation is returned in Registration Data Access Protocol (RDAP) notices to indicate deprecation of jCard in favor of JSContact. o Reference: https://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-loffredo-regext-rdap- jcard-deprecation Organization: E-Voyageurs Technologies o Description: Deprecation header field is incorporated in Hesperides, a configuration management tool providing universal text file templating and properties editing through a REST API or a webapp. o Reference: https://github.com/voyages-sncf- technologies/hesperides/blob/master/documentation/lightweight- architecture-decision-records/deprecated_endpoints.md Organization: Open-Xchange o Description: Deprecation header field is used in Open-Xchange appsuite-middleware o Reference: https://github.com/open-xchange/appsuite-middleware Organization: MediaWiki o Description: Core REST API of MediaWiki would use Deprecation header field for endpoints that have been deprecated because a new endpoint provides the same or better functionality. o Reference: https://phabricator.wikimedia.org/T232485 Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 10] Internet-Draft The Deprecation HTTP Header Field September 2024 A.2. Implementing the Concept This is a list of implementations that implement the general concept, but do so using different mechanisms: Organization: Zapier o Description: Zapier uses two custom HTTP header fields named "X- API-Deprecation-Date" and "X-API-Deprecation-Info" o Reference: https://zapier.com/engineering/api-geriatrics/ Organization: IBM o Description: IBM uses a custom HTTP header field named "Deprecated" o Reference: https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/en/SS42VS_7.3.1/ com.ibm.qradar.doc/c_rest_api_getting_started.html Organization: Ultipro o Description: Ultipro uses the HTTP "Warning" header field as described in Section 5.5 of [RFC9111] with code "299" o Reference: https://connect.ultipro.com/api-deprecation Organization: Clearbit o Description: Clearbit uses a custom HTTP header field named "X- API-Warn" o Reference: https://blog.clearbit.com/dealing-with-deprecation/ Organization: PayPal o Description: PayPal uses a custom HTTP header field named "PayPal- Deprecated" o Reference: https://github.com/paypal/api-standards/blob/master/ api-style-guide.md#runtime Appendix B. Changes from Draft-06 This revision has made the following changes: o Fixed Header Field Template Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 11] Internet-Draft The Deprecation HTTP Header Field September 2024 o Fixed Link Relation Template Appendix C. Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Nikhil Kolekar, Darrel Miller, Mark Nottingham, and Roberto Polli for their contributions. The authors take all responsibility for errors and omissions. Authors' Addresses Sanjay Dalal Email: sanjay.dalal@cal.berkeley.edu URI: https://github.com/sdatspun2 Erik Wilde Email: erik.wilde@dret.net URI: http://dret.net/netdret Dalal & Wilde Expires March 8, 2025 [Page 12]