🌐 HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

  • Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the underlying protocol used for communication between web servers and clients, such as web browsers, to transfer hypertext documents over the Internet. It defines a set of rules and conventions for requesting and transmitting data, allowing users to access and interact with web content.

  • HTTP operates on a client-server model, where the client (typically a web browser) sends requests to the server for specific resources, such as web pages, images, or files, and the server responds with the requested data. HTTP uses a stateless connection model, meaning that each request-response cycle is independent and does not retain information about previous interactions.

Key features of HTTP include:

  • 📡 Request-Response Cycle: HTTP follows a request-response model, where the client sends an HTTP request to the server, specifying the desired action (e.g., GET, POST, PUT, DELETE), resource URI (Uniform Resource Identifier), and optional request headers. The server processes the request and sends back an HTTP response containing the requested data, along with response headers and status codes indicating the outcome of the request.
  • 🔒 Plain Text Transmission: HTTP transmits data in plain text format, which means that data exchanged between the client and server is not encrypted or secured against eavesdropping or tampering. This makes HTTP vulnerable to security threats such as man-in-the-middle attacks, data interception, and sniffing.
  • 🚧 Statelessness: HTTP is stateless, meaning that each request-response cycle is independent and does not maintain any information about previous interactions. This simplifies server implementation and scalability but requires additional mechanisms such as cookies or session tokens to manage user sessions and maintain state across multiple requests.
  • 📈 Performance and Efficiency: HTTP is designed to be lightweight and efficient, with minimal overhead and protocol complexity. However, the plain text nature of HTTP can result in performance bottlenecks and security vulnerabilities, particularly for sensitive or high-value transactions.
  • 🔄 Evolution and Versions: HTTP has evolved over time, with multiple versions introduced to address performance, security, and functionality requirements. The most widely used versions are HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2, which introduce features such as persistent connections, multiplexing, and header compression to improve performance and efficiency.
See also  💳 CPC (Cost-Per-Click)

While HTTP remains the foundation of web communication, its limitations in terms of security and performance have led to the adoption of HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure), which adds encryption and authentication mechanisms to secure data transmission over the Internet.

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