[BEE-2] How to Read BEE

INFO

This document explains the conventions used throughout BEE articles, including RFC 2119 keyword usage.

Context

BEE articles use specific keywords to indicate requirement levels. These keywords follow RFC 2119 conventions, ensuring that guidance is precise and unambiguous.

Keyword Definitions

Keyword	Meaning
MUST	Absolute requirement. Violating this will cause correctness or security issues.
MUST NOT	Absolute prohibition. Doing this will cause correctness or security issues.
SHOULD	Recommended. There may be valid reasons to deviate, but the implications must be understood and weighed.
SHOULD NOT	Discouraged. There may be valid reasons to do this, but the implications must be understood.
MAY	Optional. This is a genuinely acceptable choice.

Article Structure

Every BEE article contains at minimum:

1. Title -- [BEE-{id}] {Title}
2. Info block -- One-sentence summary
3. Context -- Why this matters
4. Principle -- Core guidance with RFC 2119 keywords

Optional sections (included when they add value):

5. Visual -- Mermaid diagrams
6. Example -- Concrete, vendor-agnostic illustrations
7. Common Mistakes -- Anti-patterns
8. Related BEPs -- Cross-references
9. References -- Verified external sources

Cross-References

BEE articles link to related BEEs, and where topics overlap with ADE or DEE, a tip block provides the cross-reference:

Deep Dive

For database-level implementation details, see DEE-100: Normalization.

References

• Bradner, S. 1997. "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels". RFC 2119. https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2119

Related BEEs

• BEE-1 BEE Overview