QUIC: A UDP-Based Multiplexed and Secure Transport

QUIC is a multiplexed and secure transport protocol that runs on top

of UDP. QUIC builds on past transport experience, and implements

mechanisms that make it useful as a modern general-purpose transport

protocol. Using UDP as the basis of QUIC is intended to address

compatibility issues with legacy clients and middleboxes. QUIC

authenticates all of its headers, preventing third parties from from

changing them. QUIC encrypts most of its headers, thereby limiting

protocol evolution to QUIC endpoints only. Therefore, middleboxes, in

large part, are not required to be updated as new protocol versions

are deployed. This document describes the core QUIC protocol,

including the conceptual design, wire format, and mechanisms of the

QUIC protocol for connection establishment, stream multiplexing,

stream and connection-level flow control, and data reliability.

Accompanying documents describe QUIC's loss recovery and congestion

control, and the use of TLS 1.3 for key negotiation.