HTTP/2 - How will it change our internet experience?

HTTP (http ://) is the first part of the web address on your browser. Most sites on the internet now use HTTP/1.1, which has been around since 1999. However, with all the changes that have occurred with the web since then, an upgrade was long overdue.

A new version of HTTP known as HTTP/2 was recently finalized, and the specifications are to be published in the coming months. HTTP/2 evolved out of work done on Google's SPDY protocol.

What is HTTP?

HTTP or Hypertext Transfer Protocol is the core of the web, because it manages the link between the browser and the server that hosts the website. HTTP requests information from the server, which responds by displaying the relevant webpages on the screen. It therefore determines the speed at which information is transported over the web.

What's the difference between HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2?

HTTP/2 is faster and saves time. HTTP/2 is faster not because the technology that drives it is different, but because it uses more advanced methods to transport data across the internet.

HTTP/2 is more efficient. With HTTP/1.1 each web page consists of several individual requests, and only a limited amount of information can be transmitted at the same time, resulting in connection congestion. HTTP/2 has multiplexing, which makes it possible to download all the elements on a page using one constant connection. Multiple exchanges can therefore take place on the same connection, allowing pages to load faster.

Technical implementation/implications of HTTP/2

HTTP/2 is backwards compatible with HTTP/1.1 therefore web developers of HTTP libraries won't have to change APIs. Since HTTP/2 is multiplexed, it will require fewer connections, and the reduced load is likely to increase the efficiency of networks, especially mobile networks. Web developers and site owners can prepare for the official rollout by testing HTTP/2 in Chrome and Firefox, with downloadable test servers.