The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is an open standards organization that develops and promotes voluntary internet standards, particularly focusing on the protocols that make the internet work smoothly.

Comprised of network engineers, developers, and researchers, the IETF plays a critical role in the design and maintenance of key technologies such as TCP/IP, HTTP, DNS, and many others that underpin global internet infrastructure.

The organization operates through working groups and relies on a collaborative, consensus-driven process to create protocols and best practices that ensure interoperability, security, and scalability of internet services worldwide.