HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is the application-level protocol clients and servers use to request, describe, and transfer information about network resources. HTTP uses a request/response pattern: a client sends a request expressing what it wants to do, and a server returns status information and, often, content.
What does Hypertext Transfer Protocol mean?
The Internet Engineering Task Force’s RFC 9110 defines HTTP as “a family of stateless, application-level, request/response protocols that share a generic interface, extensible semantics, and self-descriptive messages to enable flexible interaction with network-based hypertext information systems.” The standard was published in June 2022. Read RFC 9110.
In plain terms, HTTP is a shared set of rules for communication between clients—such as browsers—and servers. “Hypertext” reflects the Web’s history, but HTTP is not limited to HTML pages. Its common interface works across resources of different types, regardless of how those resources are implemented.
How does HTTP work?
An HTTP exchange begins when a client sends a request for a target resource. The request communicates an intention; the server interprets it and sends a response. The client can use the response’s status code, metadata, and content to decide what happened and what to do next. These request and response meanings are part of HTTP semantics. RFC 9110.
#1 Best Overall
- Used Book in Good Condition
For example, a browser might request a webpage from a server. The server could respond with a status indicating the result and return the page’s content. This is an illustration of the pattern, not a claim about a particular website or exchange.
What does “stateless” mean in HTTP?
At the protocol level, each HTTP request can be considered without assuming a particular client purpose or a fixed sequence of earlier application steps. That is what “stateless” describes in this context.
It does not mean that a website or application is unable to remember a user. HTTP defines request semantics; applications can use mechanisms beyond those semantics to maintain user or session state.
How do HTTP/1.1, HTTP/2, and HTTP/3 differ?
The versions share HTTP’s core semantics, including the meaning of methods and status codes, but differ in how messages are conveyed and how communication is carried over the network. RFC 9110 describes HTTP/2 as multiplexing concurrent HTTP messages over TCP and HTTP/3 as using QUIC, a secure multiplexed transport over UDP. RFC 9112 specifies HTTP/1.1’s message syntax, framing, and connection-management mechanisms. RFC 9110 and RFC 9112.
These versions have not simply replaced one another in every context. Their mechanics can offer different benefits or limitations; the standards do not establish one version as universally fastest. The version changes the communication mechanics, not the basic meaning of HTTP methods or status codes.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What role do proxies and gateways play?
HTTP communication can involve intermediaries as well as a client and an origin server. RFC 9110 identifies proxies and gateways as ways to connect or translate non-HTTP information systems through a more generic interface. This helps HTTP apply beyond a direct browser-to-server exchange.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
