HTTP/2 is usually the second version of the known HTTP protocol. Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or as it is more commonly known HTTP is the standard for communication on the World Wide Web that is used to transmit hypertext. In other words, thanks to HTTP, web pages are downloaded and displayed through a browser to Internet users.

In May 2015, was released the HTTP/2. HTTP/2 was developed to reduce the delay in loading web pages by methods such as compression, multiplexing, and prioritization. HTTP/2 doesn’t change the semantics of HTTP. All basic HTTP/1.1 concepts such as HTTP methods, status codes, URI, and header fields are the same. Instead, HTTP/2 changes the order (form) of the data and the way it is transmitted between the client and the server that controls the entire process and hide the complexity of the new framing layer. This makes it possible to use existing applications without any changes.

The Goal of Creating HTTP/2

The primary purpose of the development of the new protocol is increasing the speed of page loading. That’s why the developers were aiming at getting rid of some elements impeding the increase of productivity.

In HTTP/2, the binary level of framing encodes requests and responses and breaks them down into smaller packets of information, which greatly increases the flexibility of data transfer.

How HTTP/2 Works

How does that work? High performance is achieved by using a special method – multiplexing of threads. Packets of several threads are mixed in one connection and then separated on arrival. Moreover, this protocol uses header compression as well as query prioritization, while the old protocols had few connections that passed on a single file at a time. HTTP/2 – the protocol constructed not on the text but in a binary format, and that’s why works faster. Also, the improved algorithm of distribution of priorities allows giving at first the most important files to browsers. In SPDY, the prioritization was done using a simpler algorithm.

The Main Advantages of HTTP/2

The main Advantages of HTTP/2 are:

  • possibility to speed up the work of complex pages that use HTML, CSS, JavaScript, a large number of pictures due to the competent prioritization;
  • obligatory use of TLS allows providing maximum protection;
  • low cost of parsing data;
  • fewer mistakes;
  • less strain on the network;
  • efficient use of network resources;
  • multiple transmission;
  • more efficient data processing between client and server.

Conclusion

HTTP/2 is a protocol that, on the one hand, contains the legacy of HTTP/1 and, on the other hand, has many advantages in terms of data transfer. Accordingly, it has an advantage over its predecessor. Also, using HTTP/2 is useful for a good rating. The shorter the time it takes to load a site, the higher the rating of Google, and the more visitors to the site prefer it.