XEPs

XEPs, or XMPP Extension Protocols, are formal standards for the Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) designed to extend core XMPP functionality. They are published and maintained by the XMPP Standards Foundation (XSF). Each XEP document describes a specific extension, including its rationale, protocol details, implementation notes, and compatibility considerations. XEPs are assigned a unique number (for example, XEP-0184) and can be categorized as draft, final, or deprecated depending on their status. The XSF uses a publication and review process that involves community discussion, testing, and formal acceptance for standards-track efforts. XEPs may be updated over time as needs evolve, and older versions can be superseded or withdrawn.

In practice, XEPs are used by client and server implementations to interoperate across the XMPP ecosystem. They cover a wide range of capabilities, from message delivery assurances to presence management and service discovery. Some XEPs are widely implemented and considered foundational, while others are optional extensions that enable enhanced functionality in specific deployments. Notable examples include XEP-0184 (Message Delivery Receipts) to confirm message delivery, XEP-0199 (XMPP Ping) to check connectivity, and XEP-0363 (HTTP File Upload) to support file transfers, among others such as Message Archive Management (XEP-0313).