The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the foundation of the World Wide Web. It is the language that web browsers and web servers use to communicate with each other. HTTP has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1989. In this article, we will take a look at the evolution of HTTP and how it has shaped the way we use the internet.

The Early Days of HTTP Link to heading

HTTP was first developed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. At the time, the internet was a very different place. There were no web browsers or web servers. Instead, people used text-based interfaces to access information on the internet.

HTTP was designed to be a simple protocol that could be used to transfer hypertext documents over the internet. Hypertext documents are documents that contain links to other documents. This allows users to navigate through a web of documents by clicking on links. We have come far from the initial idea of hypertext!

The first version of HTTP, HTTP/0.9, was very simple. It only supported one method, GET, which was used to retrieve documents from a server. HTTP/0.9 also did not support persistent connections, which meant that a new connection had to be established for each request.

The Growth of the Web Link to heading

In the early 1990s, the web began to grow rapidly. More and more people were starting to use web browsers to access information on the internet. This growth put a strain on the simple HTTP/0.9 protocol.

In 1996, the first major revision of HTTP, HTTP/1.0, was released. HTTP/1.0 added support for more methods, including POST, PUT, and DELETE. It also added support for persistent connections, which allowed multiple requests to be sent over the same connection. This initial release had already moved away from hypertext to hypermedia, but the name stuck!

The Evolution of HTTP Link to heading

Since the release of HTTP/1.0, there have been several more revisions of the protocol. Each revision has added new features and improvements.

In 1999, HTTP/1.1 was released. HTTP/1.1 added support for a variety of new features, including caching, compression, and pipelining. Caching allows web browsers to store copies of frequently accessed documents on their local hard drives. This can significantly improve performance by reducing the number of requests that need to be made to the server. Compression reduces the size of documents before they are sent over the network. This can also improve performance by reducing the amount of data that needs to be transmitted. Pipelining allows multiple requests to be sent to the server before the server has had a chance to respond to the first request. This can improve performance by making more efficient use of the network connection.

Only in 2015, HTTP/2 was released. HTTP/2 is a major revision of the HTTP protocol that introduces a number of new features and improvements. Some of the key features of HTTP/2 include:

  1. Header compression: HTTP/2 compresses headers, which reduces the amount of data that needs to be transmitted.
  2. Prioritization: HTTP/2 allows web browsers to prioritize requests, which can improve performance for important requests.
  3. Server push: HTTP/2 allows servers to proactively send resources to web browsers before the web browser requests them. This can improve performance by reducing the number of requests that need to be made by the web browser.

The Future of HTTP Link to heading

The future of HTTP is bright. The protocol is constantly evolving to meet the needs of the ever-changing web. HTTP/3 is just around the corner, some expected changes include:

  • QUIC: HTTP/3 will use QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connection), a new transport protocol that is designed to be more efficient but equally reliable to TCP. QUIC is based on UDP, which is a connectionless protocol that is better suited for the internet of today.QUIC is designed for mobile-heavy Internet usage in which people carry smartphones that constantly switch from one network to another as they move about their day.

The improvements should result in:

  • Improved performance: HTTP/3 is expected to significantly improve the performance of web applications by reducing latency and improving throughput.
  • Increased reliability: HTTP/3 is expected to increase the reliability of web applications by reducing the number of dropped packets and improving error handling.

Overall, HTTP/3 will be a significant improvement over previous versions of the HTTP protocol. It is expected to make web applications faster, more reliable, and more secure!