# Ethereum Request for Comments (ERCs)

*Please note that ERCs were recently separated from the [EIPs](https://github.com/ethereum/eips) repo.*

The goal of ERCs is to standardize and provide high-quality documentation for the Ethereum application layer. This repository tracks past and ongoing improvements application standards in the form of ERCs. [EIP-1](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-1) governs how EIPs and ERCs are published.

The [status page](https://eips.ethereum.org/) tracks and lists both EIPs and ERCs, which can be divided into the following categories:

- [Core EIPs](https://eips.ethereum.org/core) are improvements to the Ethereum consensus protocol.
- [Networking EIPs](https://eips.ethereum.org/networking) specify the peer-to-peer networking layer of Ethereum.
- [Interface EIPs](https://eips.ethereum.org/interface) standardize interfaces to Ethereum, which determine how users and applications interact with the blockchain.
- [ERCs](https://eips.ethereum.org/erc) specify application layer standards, which determine how applications running on Ethereum can interact with each other.
- [Meta EIPs](https://eips.ethereum.org/meta) are miscellaneous improvements that nonetheless require some sort of consensus.
- [Informational EIPs](https://eips.ethereum.org/informational) are non-standard improvements that do not require any form of consensus.

**Before you write an ERC, ideas MUST be thoroughly discussed on [Ethereum Magicians](https://ethereum-magicians.org/) or [Ethereum Research](https://ethresear.ch/t/read-this-before-posting/8). Once consensus is reached, thoroughly read and review [EIP-1](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-1), which describes the EIP/ERC process.**

Please note that this repository is for documenting standards and not for help implementing them. These types of inquiries should be directed to the [Ethereum Stack Exchange](https://ethereum.stackexchange.com). For specific questions and concerns regarding ERCs, it's best to comment on the relevant discussion thread of the ERC denoted by the `discussions-to` tag in the ERC's preamble.

If you would like to become an EIP Editor, please read [EIP-5069](https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-5069).

## Preferred Citation Format

The canonical URL for an ERC that has achieved draft status at any point is at <https://eips.ethereum.org/>. For example, the canonical URL for EIP-1 is <https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-1>.

Consider any document not published at <https://eips.ethereum.org/> as a working paper. Additionally, consider published EIPs with a status of "draft", "review", or "last call" to be incomplete drafts, and note that their specification is likely to be subject to change.