1.3 Status of XML Security Standardization

As this book goes to print, various components of XML Security are at various stages in the standardization process.

Canonical XML [Canon] (see Chapter 9) became a full World Wide Web Consortium Recommendation in 2001 and has been published by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) as an Informational RFC. XML Digital Signature [XMLDSIG], which provides authentication (see Chapter 10), is a full Recommendation in the W3C and a Draft Standard in the IETF. These rungs on the standardization ladder indicate that the standard has reached a level of stability for which implementation and operational deployment are reasonable.

XML Encryption [XMLENC], which provides confidentiality, and Exclusive XML Canonicalization [Exclusive] are W3C Candidate Recommendations. The probability of major or incompatible changes with these recommendations is not high. See Chapters 9 and 15.