Session Date/Time: 06 Nov 2024 09:30

rpp

Summary

This Birds of a Feather (BoF) session explored the need for a new, RESTful Provisioning Protocol (RPP) and discussed a potential charter for a working group to develop it. The session included presentations on the current state of EPP, motivations for a new protocol, existing restful provisioning implementations, and potential requirements for RPP. A significant portion of the session focused on charter discussion, addressing concerns about overlap with the REJX working group (responsible for EPP), the scope of the work, and the availability of resources.

Key Discussion Points

History and Purpose: The session clarified that the intent is to create a new protocol, RPP, not to extend, change, or replace EPP. EPP extensions remain the purview of the REJX working group.
EPP Overview: A detailed overview of EPP was presented, covering its data model (XML-based), command repertoire (CRUD operations), and transport protocol (primarily TCP/TLS). The sponsorship model was also highlighted.
Motivations for RPP: Arguments for RPP centered on the benefits of a RESTful API, including easier load balancing, rate limiting, identity/access management, ease of use for developers, and better integration with existing HTTP tooling and frameworks. The adoption of JSON as the native data format was a key point.
Existing Restful APIs: Several examples of registries already implementing RESTful APIs for provisioning were presented, demonstrating a trend towards this approach.
Technical Considerations: Discussions covered the possibility of mapping existing EPP commands to REST endpoints, XML to JSON conversion strategies, and requirements for authentication, compatibility with EPP, and extensibility.
Charter Discussion:
- Concerns were raised about potential overlap and coordination with the REJX working group.
- The scope of the work, particularly concerning whether RPP should be a strict superset of EPP and whether transition/migration should be considered, was debated.
- The availability of resources, given the existing workload of the REJX working group, was questioned.
- A call was made to consider a broader range of registries beyond GTLDs in the protocol design and explore cases of indirect provisioning (e.g., reseller scenarios).

Decisions and Action Items

Charter Revision: The current draft charter will be revised based on the discussions at the BoF session. Changes will be tracked on GitHub, and comments can be submitted through GitHub issues or to the mailing list. The AD will monitor the list to know when the consensus is settles
Liaison with REJX: It was agreed that close communication and coordination with the REJX working group are crucial.
Explore Use Cases: Listing known use cases for EPP in the charter will be considered, and examining potential uses in other types of internet registries and also cases of indirection will be considered
Explore mapping: Exploring the connection between RPP and ARDEP will be considered

Next Steps

Continue charter discussions on the mailing list.
Refine the charter based on feedback from the BoF session and the mailing list.
The Area Director will assess when the charter is stable and initiate the process for formal working group formation.