Supportsoft Glossary

Foundation of Web Communication

When you click on a link or enter a URL into your browser's address bar, the browser will send an "HTTP Request" to the server requesting specific content, and in response to this request, the server will send an "HTTP Reply" with the requested content (e.g., HTML, CSS, images, scripts, etc.), and the requested content will be displayed by the browser as a web page.

HTTP is considered to be the "most basic" of web technologies because of its very simple and stateless nature – that is to say, each request is processed independently of each other, thus allowing for faster and more efficient communication between the user and the web server without requiring a constant connection to the server. Newer versions of the protocol, known as HTTP/2 and HTTP/3, include specific features to allow for 'multiplexed' requests, reduced latency and improved reliability, all of which serve to increase the speed of transactions performed between a user and a server.

Despite these advantages, the current version of HTTP does not provide an encrypted connection, which exposes the information that is sent to and from the server to potential interception during the transmission process.

HTTP continues to be the technology used for all daily Internet usage and is the driving force behind the continued growth and development of web pages, application programming interfaces (APIs), and application software. It is the foundation upon which the entire Internet has built its ability to create and deliver information quickly and consistently.