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+# Datagrams in libp2p
+
+| Lifecycle Stage | Maturity      | Status | Latest Revision |
+| --------------- | ------------- | ------ | --------------- |
+| 1A              | Working Draft | Active | r0, 2025-05-23  |
+
+Authors: [@marcopolo]
+
+Interest Group: [@sukunrt], [@jxs], [@raulk]
+
+[@marcopolo]: https://github.com/marcopolo
+[@sukunrt]: https://github.com/sukunrt
+[@jxs]: https://github.com/jxs
+[@raulk]: https://github.com/raulk
+
+See the [lifecycle document][lifecycle-spec] for context about the maturity level
+and spec status.
+
+[lifecycle-spec]: https://github.com/libp2p/specs/blob/master/00-framework-01-spec-lifecycle.md
+
+## Table of Contents
+
+- [Introduction](#introduction)
+- [Native support at the transport level](#native-support-at-the-transport-level)
+- [Datagrams on QUIC](#datagrams-on-quic)
+  - [Encoding](#encoding)
+- [Datagrams on WebTransport](#datagrams-on-webtransport)
+- [Datagrams on top of a multiplexed stream on top of TCP](#datagrams-on-top-of-a-multiplexed-stream-on-top-of-tcp)
+- [Datagrams with WebRTC](#datagrams-with-webrtc)
+
+## Introduction
+
+This specification defines libp2p datagrams, which enable the transmission of
+MTU-sized, unreliable, and low latency messages between peers.
+
+TODO write more about the tradeoffs here as well as the kinds of applications that would benefit from using datagrams.
+
+## Native support at the transport level
+
+Some libp2p transports natively support datagrams, such as QUIC and
+WebTransport. libp2p implementations MUST use the native datagram support to
+send datagrams.
+
+- QUIC has an Unreliable Datagram Extension [RFC 9221].
+- WebTransport supports Datagrams though HTTP Datagrams [WebTransport draft RFC](https://www.ietf.org/archive/id/draft-ietf-webtrans-http3-12.html#name-datagrams)
+
+## Datagrams on QUIC
+
+Each datagram flow MUST be associated with a control stream. A datagram flow is
+defined as a logical flow of datagrams related to a specific application
+protocol. A control stream is a QUIC bidirectional stream that has negotiated
+the libp2p datagram control stream protocol ID `/dg/1`. The initiator MUST send
+the related application protocol ID with a [uvarint] length prefix after
+negotiating the control stream. The control stream MUST stay open for the
+duration of the datagram flow. Implementation MAY create the control stream and
+start sending datagrams at once. There is currently no other use for the control
+stream besides negotiating the application protocol ID. Receipt of a QUIC
+DATAGRAM frame whose payload is too short to allow parsing the Control Stream ID
+field MUST be treated as a connection error of type PROTOCOL_VIOLATION (0x1003).
+libp2p datagrams MUST NOT be sent unless the control stream's send side is open.
+If a datagram is received after the corresponding stream's receive side is
+closed, the received datagrams MUST be silently dropped.
+
+If a libp2p datagram is received and its Control Stream ID field maps to a
+stream that has not yet been created, the receiver SHALL either drop that
+datagram silently or buffer it temporarily (on the order of a round trip) while
+awaiting the creation of the corresponding stream.
+
+If a libp2p datagram is received and its Control Stream ID field maps to a
+stream that cannot be created due to client-initiated bidirectional stream
+limits, it MUST be treated as a connection error of type PROTOCOL_VIOLATION
+(0x1003).
+
+### Encoding
+
+Each libp2p datagram SHALL be encoded with the following structure.
+
+| Field Name       | Data Type     | Length (bits) | Description                                                           |
+| ---------------- | ------------- | ------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| Control StreamID | [QUIC varint] | 8..64         | The stream ID of the associated control stream for this datagram flow |
+| Application Data | byte sequence | variable      | Application payload                                                   |
+
+## Datagrams on WebTransport
+
+libp2p datagrams on WebTransport behave the same as libp2p datagrams on QUIC.
+However, the application data may be further limited by the overhead of HTTP
+Datagram's Quarter Stream ID field.
+
+In the future, a separate spec may be able to remove this overhead.
+
+## Datagrams on top of a multiplexed stream on top of TCP
+
+This is currently not specified.
+
+## Datagrams with WebRTC
+
+This is currently not specified.
+
+[RFC 9221]: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9221
+[QUIC varint]: https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9000.html#name-variable-length-integer-enc
+[uvarint]: https://github.com/multiformats/unsigned-varint