HTTP/2 – Better, Faster

Hypertext Transfer Protocol has been, and currently is one of the most integral pieces of the internet since its origin in 1991. HTTP is a protocol put in place that allows information to be communicated between websites and links on the World Wide Web. It defines formats, transmissions, and responses between browsers and servers. It’s in every single URL that you search on your device.

The internet has come a long way since 1991, but the HTTP protocol hasn’t been changed much since its introduction. It was updated in 1996, and then once more in 1999, and since then it has remained untouched for the most part. It hasn’t changed for so long simply because it has been doing a fantastic job of bringing users across the globe quick and easy access to their favourite websites.

The status quo of the internet is always changing, developing, and growing. More and more information is becoming vastly available to us in many different ways, and HTTP needs to keep the supply at par with demand. With the advent of so many new components in the average website like videos and images (just as a very small example), HTTP has a much larger list of tasks to complete in terms of creating connections than it did in its earlier years, and this causes web pages to load slower.

Of course, we all know what it’s like to sit in front of a screen and give our computer a grim stare while silently saying “you better load this page before I throw you out a window”.

Well, the answer to the call of the masses comes in the form of HTTP/2. This update solves the problems that HTTP/1.1 could not. It can create a constant connection between the browser and the server, which will reduce the amount of data that is transferred, and thusly produce a faster connection. On top of that, it transfers data in binary code, which is the native language of a computer, therefore, time will be saved with the computer not having to translate information (source: Engadget).

There are other features that set HTTP/2 apart from its predecessor, which are equally significant to those mentioned above. For example, HTTP/2 can improve security connections in TLS (SSL) (source: Akamai). For the everyday internet user, there will be no noticeable changes in the way anything operates when they surf the web. The whole idea behind the HTTP update is so users can make good time when searching for their websites, and have an overall better experience online, and HTTP/2 is well on its way to making that happen.