> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.internetobject.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.internetobject.org/conformance/validation-model.md).

# Validation Model

Processing an Internet Object document is defined as a pipeline of four stages. Each stage has a clear input and output, so implementations behave consistently.

```
text ──parse──▶ document tree ──validate──▶ checked tree ──load──▶ values
                                                              ◀─stringify── values
```

## Parse

**Input:** UTF-8 text. **Output:** a document tree (header, sections, records, values).

Parsing checks only *syntax* — that the text is well-formed. It does not consult any schema. Syntax errors are produced here (see [Error Model](/parsing-and-errors/error-model.md)).

## Validate

**Input:** the document tree + a schema. **Output:** the same tree, with each value checked.

Validation applies the schema: types, constraints (`min`, `maxLen`, `pattern`, `choices`, …), optionality, and nullability. Validation errors are produced here. With no schema, data is accepted structurally and mapped to positional keys.

## Load

**Input:** the validated tree. **Output:** in-memory values.

Loading converts checked values into their final representations (numbers, booleans, dates, byte data, nested objects/arrays), applying defaults for omitted fields.

## Stringify

The inverse of the pipeline: in-memory values are serialized back to Internet Object text, honoring schema hints such as a number's `format` or a string's quote style. A value that is loaded and then stringified SHOULD round-trip to an equivalent document.

## See Also

* [Conformance Requirements](/conformance/requirements.md)
* [Parsing & Errors](/parsing-and-errors/parsing-and-errors.md)


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.internetobject.org/conformance/validation-model.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.