The traditional mechanism for transferring files in the Jabber community is the Out-of-Band Data (XEP-0066) [1] protocol. That protocol has several drawbacks:
The current document defines a profile of Stream Initiation (XEP-0095) [2] that solves the problems with out-of-band data, thus providing a robust, reliable mechanism for file transfers over the Jabber network. Implementors are referred to XEP-0095 regarding the underlying concepts of stream initiation.
Define a full-featured set of metadata for file transfers, including the following:
The file transfer profile is in the "http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer" namespace. The profile is fairly simple: it consists of the root element with the possibility of one child describing the optional ranged transfers.
The root element is <file> and has four attributes. The attributes are used only during the offer stage of stream initiation:
The size and name attributes MUST be present in the profile. The other attributes MAY be present.
There are two possible child elements of the root: <desc> and <range>. Both are OPTIONAL.
<desc> is used to provide a sender-generated description of the file so the receiver can better understand what is being sent. It MUST NOT be sent in the result.
When <range> is sent in the offer, it should have no attributes. This signifies that the sender can do ranged transfers. When a Stream Initiation result is sent with the <range> element, it uses these attributes:
Both attributes are OPTIONAL on the <range> element. Sending no attributes is synonymous with not sending the <range> element. When no <range> element is sent in the Stream Initiation result, the Sender MUST send the complete file starting at offset 0. More generally, data is sent over the stream byte for byte starting at the offset position for the length specified.
In order to enable seamless file transfer and appropriate fall-back mechanisms, implementations of this profile MUST support both SOCKS5 Bytestreams (XEP-0065) [4] and In-Band Bytestreams (XEP-0047) [5], to be preferred in that order. The associated namespaces are to be included as option values for the "stream-method" variable as shown in the examples below.
Additionally, implementations MAY support other mechanisms.
<iq type='set' id='offer1' to='receiver@jabber.org/resource'>
<si xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/si'
id='a0'
mime-type='text/plain'
profile='http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer'>
<file xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer'
name='test.txt'
size='1022'/>
<feature xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/feature-neg'>
<x xmlns='jabber:x:data' type='form'>
<field var='stream-method' type='list-single'>
<option><value>http://jabber.org/protocol/bytestreams</value></option>
<option><value>http://jabber.org/protocol/ibb</value></option>
</field>
</x>
</feature>
</si>
</iq>
<iq type='result' to='sender@jabber.org/resource' id='offer1'>
<si xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/si'>
<feature xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/feature-neg'>
<x xmlns='jabber:x:data' type='submit'>
<field var='stream-method'>
<value>http://jabber.org/protocol/bytestreams</value>
</field>
</x>
</feature>
</si>
</iq>
<iq type='set' id='offer1' to='receiver@jabber.org/resource'>
<si xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/si'
id='a0'
mime-type='text/plain'
profile='http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer'>
<file xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer'
name='test.txt'
size='1022'
hash='552da749930852c69ae5d2141d3766b1'
date='1969-07-21T02:56:15Z'>
<desc>This is a test. If this were a real file...</desc>
</file>
<feature xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/feature-neg'>
<x xmlns='jabber:x:data' type='form'>
<field var='stream-method' type='list-single'>
<option><value>http://jabber.org/protocol/bytestreams</value></option>
<option><value>http://jabber.org/protocol/ibb</value></option>
</field>
</x>
</feature>
</si>
</iq>
<iq type='result' to='sender@jabber.org/resource' id='offer1'>
<si xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/si'>
<file xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer'/>
<feature xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/feature-neg'>
<x xmlns='jabber:x:data' type='submit'>
<field var='stream-method'>
<value>http://jabber.org/protocol/bytestreams</value>
</field>
</x>
</feature>
</si>
</iq>
This range should retrieve 256 bytes from the beginning of the file:
<range length='256'/>
This range should retrieve 256 bytes starting from the 128th byte in the file:
<range offset='128' length='256'/>
This range should retrieve the remainder of the file starting at the 128th byte in the file:
<range offset='128'/>
This range is the same as having not sent the range request and the entire file is sent:
<range/>
No interaction with the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) [6] is required as a result of this document.
The profile described in this document is included in the stream initiation profiles registry maintained by the XMPP Registrar [7] (see <https://xmpp.org/registrar/si-profiles.html>). The registry submission is as follows:
<profile> <name>http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer</name> <doc>XEP-0096</doc> <desc>A profile for file transfer between any two entities.</desc> </profile>
As authorized by XMPP URI Query Components (XEP-0147) [8], the XMPP Registrar maintains a registry of queries and key-value pairs for use in XMPP URIs (see <https://xmpp.org/registrar/querytypes.html>).
As described below, the registered querytypes for file transfer actions are "sendfile" and "recvfile". Note well that "sendfile" means a second entity will send a file to the XMPP entity that controls the IRI/URI and that "recvfile" means a second entity will receive a file from the XMPP entity that controls the IRI/URI.
To enable a second entity to send a file, the IRI/URI is of the following form:
xmpp:romeo@montague.net/orchard?sendfile
The application SHOULD then present an interface enabling the user to provide information about the file to be sent (e.g., by "browsing" the file system of the user's computer in order to choose a file). As a result, the application SHOULD then send a Publishing Stream Initiation Requests (XEP-0137) [9] message to the XMPP address encapsulated in the IRI/URI:
<message from='juliet@capulet.com/balcony' to='romeo@montague.net'>
<sipub xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/sipub'
id='publish-0123'
mime-type='text/plain'
profile='http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer'>
<file xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer'
name='missive.txt'
size='1024'
date='2005-11-29T11:21Z'/>
</sipub>
</message>
The following submission registers the "sendfile" querytype.
<querytype> <name>sendfile</name> <proto>http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer</proto> <desc>enables initiation of an inbound file transfer to XMPP entity</desc> <doc>XEP-0096</doc> </querytype>
To enable a second entity to receive a file, the IRI/URI is of the following form:
xmpp:romeo@montague.net/orchard?recvfile;sid=pub234;mime-type=text%2Fplain;name=reply.txt;size=2048
That IRI/URI is equivalent to the following XML stanza:
<message from='romeo@montague.net' to='juliet@capulet.com/balcony'>
<sipub xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/sipub'
id='pub234'
mime-type='text/plain'
profile='http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer'>
<file xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer'
name='reply.txt'
size='2048'/>
</sipub>
</message>
In accordance with Publishing Stream Initiation Requests (XEP-0137) [9], the application SHOULD then initiate a file transfer exchange with by sending a stanza of the following form:
<iq from='juliet@capulet.com/balcony' to='romeo@montague.net/orchard'> <start xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/sipub' id='pub234'/> </iq>
Note well that the request to begin the stream is sent to the full JID (user@host/resource) of the XMPP entity identified by the XMPP IRI/URI. Therefore, the IRI/URI SHOULD include a full JID. If it does not, the receiver MUST discover a full JID via presence or service discovery. If the receiver cannot discover a full JID for the sender (e.g., in the last resort through sending a presence subscription request to the sender and receiving presence from the sender's resources), then it SHOULD abort the file transfer exchange.
The following submission registers the "recvfile" querytype.
<querytype>
<name>recvfile</name>
<proto>http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer</proto>
<desc>enables initiation of an outbound file transfer from XMPP entity</desc>
<doc>XEP-0096</doc>
<keys>
<key>
<name>algo</name>
<desc>the hash algorithm used to generate the checksum</desc>
</key>
<key>
<name>hash</name>
<desc>a checksum of the file contents</desc>
</key>
<key>
<name>mime-type</name>
<desc>the MIME type of the file being offered</desc>
</key>
<key>
<name>name</name>
<desc>the name of the file being offered</desc>
</key>
<key>
<name>sid</name>
<desc>the session ID associated with the file being offered</desc>
</key>
<key>
<name>size</name>
<desc>the size in bytes of the file being offered</desc>
</key>
</keys>
</querytype>
<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?>
<xs:schema
xmlns:xs='http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema'
targetNamespace='http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer'
xmlns='http://jabber.org/protocol/si/profile/file-transfer'
elementFormDefault='qualified'>
<xs:annotation>
<xs:documentation>
The protocol documented by this schema is defined in
XEP-0096: http://www.xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0096.html
</xs:documentation>
</xs:annotation>
<xs:element name='file'>
<xs:complexType>
<xs:sequence minOccurs='0'>
<xs:element name='desc' type='xs:string'/>
<xs:element ref='range'/>
</xs:sequence>
<xs:attribute name='date' type='xs:string' use='optional'/>
<xs:attribute name='hash' type='xs:string' use='optional'/>
<xs:attribute name='name' type='xs:string' use='required'/>
<xs:attribute name='size' type='xs:integer' use='required'/>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:element name='range'>
<xs:complexType>
<xs:simpleContent>
<xs:extension base='empty'>
<xs:attribute name='length' type='xs:integer' use='optional'/>
<xs:attribute name='offset' type='xs:integer' use='optional'/>
</xs:extension>
</xs:simpleContent>
</xs:complexType>
</xs:element>
<xs:simpleType name='empty'>
<xs:restriction base='xs:string'>
<xs:enumeration value=''/>
</xs:restriction>
</xs:simpleType>
</xs:schema>
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The Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) is defined in the XMPP Core (RFC 6120) and XMPP IM (RFC 6121) specifications contributed by the XMPP Standards Foundation to the Internet Standards Process, which is managed by the Internet Engineering Task Force in accordance with RFC 2026. Any protocol defined in this document has been developed outside the Internet Standards Process and is to be understood as an extension to XMPP rather than as an evolution, development, or modification of XMPP itself.
The primary venue for discussion of XMPP Extension Protocols is the <standards@xmpp.org> discussion list.
Discussion on other xmpp.org discussion lists might also be appropriate; see <https://xmpp.org/community/> for a complete list.
Errata can be sent to <editor@xmpp.org>.
The following requirements keywords as used in this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC 2119: "MUST", "SHALL", "REQUIRED"; "MUST NOT", "SHALL NOT"; "SHOULD", "RECOMMENDED"; "SHOULD NOT", "NOT RECOMMENDED"; "MAY", "OPTIONAL".
1. XEP-0066: Out of Band Data <https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0066.html>.
2. XEP-0095: Stream Initiation <https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0095.html>.
3. XEP-0082: XMPP Date and Time Profiles <https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0082.html>.
4. XEP-0065: SOCKS5 Bytestreams <https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0065.html>.
5. XEP-0047: In-Band Bytestreams <https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0047.html>.
6. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) is the central coordinator for the assignment of unique parameter values for Internet protocols, such as port numbers and URI schemes. For further information, see <http://www.iana.org/>.
7. The XMPP Registrar maintains a list of reserved protocol namespaces as well as registries of parameters used in the context of XMPP extension protocols approved by the XMPP Standards Foundation. For further information, see <https://xmpp.org/registrar/>.
8. XEP-0147: XMPP URI Query Components <https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0147.html>.
9. XEP-0137: Publishing Stream Initiation Requests <https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0137.html>.
Note: Older versions of this specification might be available at https://xmpp.org/extensions/attic/
@report{muldowney2003si-filetransfer,
title = {SI File Transfer},
author = {Muldowney, Thomas and Miller, Matthew and Eatmon, Ryan and Saint-Andre, Peter},
type = {XEP},
number = {0096},
version = {1.3.1},
institution = {XMPP Standards Foundation},
url = {https://xmpp.org/extensions/xep-0096.html},
date = {2003-06-10/2022-03-22},
}END