What is HTTP?
What is HTTP?
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol. It is the foundation of the Internet and how it functions and exchanges data.
HTTP works in a Request and Response system. The client requests a specific resource from the server, and if the resource is available, it will be returned in a response from the server.
The response from the server will include an HTTP Status Code. This lets the client know the details of the response, whether it was successful or not, and why. Status codes are grouped into different numbers each indicating different response types. For example, codes 200-299 mean successful, and codes 300-399 indicate redirection.
When you load a web page in your browser, the requests are sent to the corresponding server to fetch the various components of the page. Each request returns an individual response.
HTTP has many features that make it the most widespread transfer protocol. HTTP is an application layer protocol based on TCP, a secure transport layer protocol. HTTP is also stateless, meaning each request and response cycle is separate from the ones before and after.
HTTP also enables the use of HTTP Headers in requests and responses, which allow them to be customized and provide extra information. HTTP also has a secure version - HTTPS- the standard network connection on the Internet.