A best current practice (BCP) is a de facto level of performance in engineering and information technology. It is more flexible than a standard, since techniques and tools are continually evolving. The Internet Engineering Task Force publishes Best Current Practice documents in a numbered document series. Each document in this series is paired with the currently valid Request for Comments (RFC) document. BCP was introduced in RFC-1818.rfc:1818
BCPs are document guidelines, processes, methods, and other matters not suitable for standardization. The Internet standards process itself is defined in a series of BCPs, as is the formal organizational structure of the IETF, Internet Engineering Steering Group, Internet Architecture Board, and other groups involved in that process. IETF's separate Standard Track (STD) document series defines the fully standardized network protocols of the Internet, such as the Internet Protocol, the Transmission Control Protocol, and the Domain Name System.
Each RFC number refers to a specific version of a document Standard Track, but the BCP number refers to the most recent revision of the document. Thus, citations often reference both the BCP number and the RFC number. Example citations for BCPs are: BCP 38, RFC 2827.
Significant fields of application BCP related to IPv6 BCP numberTitleBCP157IPv6 Address Assignment to End SitesBCP177IPv6 Support Required for All IP-Capable NodesBCP198IPv6 Prefix Length Recommendation for Forwarding
BCP related to DNS BCP numberTitleBCP016Selection and Operation of Secondary DNS ServersBCP017Use of DNS Aliases for Network ServicesBCP020Classless IN-ADDR.ARPA delegationBCP032Reserved Top Level DNS NamesBCP042Domain Name System (DNS) IANA ConsiderationsBCP049Delegation of IP6.ARPABCP052Management Guidelines & Operational Requirements for the Address and Routing Parameter Area Domain ("arpa")BCP065Dynamic Delegation Discovery System (DDDS) Part Five: URI.ARPA Assignment ProceduresBCP080Delegation of E.F.F.3.IP6.ARPABCP091DNS IPv6 Transport Operational GuidelinesBCP109Deprecation of "ip6.int"BCP123Observed DNS Resolution MisbehaviorBCP152DNS Proxy Implementation GuidelinesBCP155Nameservers for IPv4 and IPv6 Reverse ZonesBCP163Locally Served DNS Zones
BCP related to security BCP numberTitleBCP021Expectations for Computer Security Incident ResponseBCP038Network Ingress Filtering: Defeating Denial of Service Attacks which employ IP Source Address SpoofingBCP046Recommended Internet Service Provider Security Services and ProceduresBCP061Strong Security Requirements for Internet Engineering Task Force Standard ProtocolsBCP072Guidelines for Writing RFC Text on Security ConsiderationsBCP106Randomness Requirements for SecurityBCP136Secure Connectivity and Mobility Using Mobile IPv4 and IKEv2 Mobility and Multihoming (MOBIKE)BCP140Preventing Use of Recursive Nameservers in Reflector AttacksBCP188Pervasive Monitoring Is an AttackBCP194BGP Operations and SecurityBCP195Recommendations for Secure Use of Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Datagram Transport Layer Security (DTLS)BCP199DHCPv6-Shield: Protecting against Rogue DHCPv6 Servers
BCP related to globalization BCP numberTitleBCP047Tags for Identifying Languages (IETF language tag)
See also Benchmarking Best practice Gold standard (test) Prior art
References
External links BCP Index at the RFC Editor