Normative is a word commonly used in softwarespecifications to denote sections that are standardized and must be followed as a rule. Specifications might also contain sections that are marked asnon-normative orinformative, which means those are provided there for the purpose of helping the reader understand the specifications better or to showcase an example or best practice, which need not be followed as a rule.

See also

• Description ofnormative and informative content in WHATWG wiki