Encoding

The Internet Object format uses UTF-8 as the default and mandatory encoding. This ensures that all implementations can reliably read and write text consistently. While you can use other encodings like UTF-16, UTF-32, or ASCII, keep in mind that not all systems might support them.

If UTF-8 doesn't work for your needs, choose the encoding that best fits your situation to maintain compatibility. You can use external libraries or tools to convert between UTF-8 and your preferred encoding if your implementation doesn't support it directly.

Parsers and serializers must ensure that at least UTF-8 is supported, as it is the only mandatory encoding for Internet Objects.

Byte Order Mark (BOM)

Adding a Byte Order Mark (U+FEFF) at the start of your Internet Object text won’t cause issues—the parser will simply treat it as a space.