Discover HTTP/3
Discover HTTP/3
By Lucien Immink
5 min read
What is HTTP/3 and how does it differ from HTTP/2? In order to understand we need to dive deep into how the protocols of the internet work.
- Authors
- Name
- Lucien Immink
- linkedinLucien Immink
- twitter@lucienimmink
- Github
- githublucienimmink
I remember as if it was only yesterday that HTTP/2 was introduced and now HTTP/3 is here. HTTP/3 used to be called HTTP/2 Semantics using the QUIC transport protocol, so HTTP/3 is HTTP/2 and what is QUIC? Let me clarify that for you!
To understand what HTTP/3 is and how it differs from HTTP/2, we first need to take a deep dive into what HTTP is. Ah yes HTTP: good old Hypertext Transfer Protocol which was of course initiated by Tim Berners-Lee in 1989 whilst he was working at CERN.
HTTP
HTTP is a request-response protocol which is used in client-server communication between computers. The client submits a request using a predefined method (like GET or POST) and the server will handle that request and in return returns a response, which can be anything from text, binary data to nothing more than just a header (for example a 404 to indicate that the requested resource is not found).
The protocol allows intermediate networks to alter / extend / improve / open communications. Take for example a proxy: This server can return the resource - if present - to improve the response time. A proxy can also be used as a relay for clients that are not allowed external access.
HTTP is an application layer protocol as described in the OSI model and presumes an underlying network protocol like Internet Protocol(IP) and transport protocol Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), it can however be adopted to use other transport protocols like User Datagram Protocol (UDP).
A HTTP resource is identified by the Uniform Resource Locators (URLs) which consists of following key elements:
- (scheme)
- (authority [= username@host:port])
- (path)
- (query)
- (fragment)
Parts of the URL are optional and omitting them can have both positive and negative side-effects. For navigating between resources:
- No scheme means that the resource requested should use the same scheme as the requestee. This can easily fix mixed-content errors. HTTPS stays HTTPS! (for example: //www.example.com)
- No scheme and no authority means that the resource requested should be on the same domain, if the URL starts with a forward-slash (/) the requested resource is requested using the absolutepath otherwise it is relative to the requestee (/articles/ vs articles/).
- No scheme and no authority and no path indicate that the requested resource should be found in the same path as the requestee (for example: page2.html)
While query and fragment won’t change what the requested resource is a query does alter the response. If sent, the query is used as a filter (or it should be 😉). The fragment is fully client side and was intended to be used as a bookmark so the page would scroll to a specific element in the HTML element. Because the fragment will not trigger a navigation event in the browser it was also used a lot for client-side navigation (known as hashbang note that that link uses a fragment).
HTTP/1.1 improved the original 1.0 by reusing a connection multiple times to download resources after the original page has been delivered. This results in less latency as the underlying TCP protocol overhead for setting up the connection is not needed anymore (once it is set up).
HTTP/2
It took a while before HTTP/1.1 (from 1997) was succeeded, but in 2015 the HTTP/2 specifications were officially published. The main goals for HTTP/2 were:
- Maintain high-level compatibility with HTTP/1.1 (for example with methods, status codes, URIs, and most header fields).
- Decrease latency to improve page load speed in web browsers by considering:
- data compression of HTTP headers
- HTTP/2 Server Push
- pipelining of requests
- fixing the head-of-line blocking problem in HTTP 1.x
- multiplexing multiple requests over a single TCP connection
- Support common existing use cases of HTTP.
With these goals the migration from HTTP/1.1 to HTTP/2 is transparent for the client. The URL remains the same and the response remains the same except for that if the HTTP/2 protocol is used more and better compression becomes available as well as multiplexing and pipelining requests to reduce the TCP overhead even further. HTTP/2 Server Push enables a server to send additional data to a connected client afterthe requested resource is send.
Although not part of the standard all major clients only support HTTP/2 over TLS which makes encryption of the connection mandatory and is now considered a must for HTTP/2.
HTTP/3
As of December 2020, the HTTP/3 protocol is an internet draft and implementation for both servers and clients has started. Major browser vendors have HTTP/3 behind a feature flag and Safari has it enabled by default since version 14 on macOS Big Sur.
The big change here is the use of QUIC as transport layer protocol instead of TCP. QUIC improves performance of web-based applications by establishing several multiplexed connections between server and client using UDP and is designed to replace TCP.
Reading back HTTP/3 is HTTP/2 using a different transport protocol, so why is it called HTTP/3 then? At first it was named HTTP/2 Semantics Using The QUIC Transport Protocol and later renamed to HTTP over QUIC but to make clear that the protocol is separate from QUIC itself and thus should not have the QUIC in it, it was renamed to HTTP/3.
HTTP/3 enables the QUIC protocol for HTTP/2.
Upcoming events
The Test Automation Meetup
PLEASE RSVP SO THAT WE KNOW HOW MUCH FOOD WE WILL NEED Test automation is a cornerstone of effective software development. It's about creating robust, predictable test suites that enhance quality and reliability. By diving into automation, you're architecting systems that ensure consistency and catch issues early. This expertise not only improves the development process but also broadens your skillset, making you a more versatile team member. Whether you're a developer looking to enhance your testing skills or a QA professional aiming to dive deeper into automation, RSVP for an evening of learning, delicious food, and the fusion of coding and quality assurance! 🚀🚀 18:00 – 🚪 Doors open to the public 18:15 – 🍕 Let’s eat 19:00 – 📢 First round of Talks 19:45 – 🍹 Small break 20:00 – 📢 Second round of Talks 20:45 – 🍻 Drinks 21:00 – 🙋♀️ See you next time? First Round of Talks: The Power of Cross-browser Component Testing - Clarke Verdel, SR. Front-end Developer at iO How can you use Component Testing to ensure consistency cross-browser? Second Round of Talks: Omg who wrote this **** code!? - Erwin Heitzman, SR. Test Automation Engineer at Rabobank How can tests help you and your team? Beyond the Unit Test - Christian Würthner, SR. Android Developer at iO How can you do advanced automated testing for, for instance, biometrics? RSVP now to secure your spot, and let's explore the fascinating world of test automation together!
| Coven of Wisdom - Amsterdam
Go to page for The Test Automation MeetupCoven of Wisdom - Herentals - Winter `24 edition
Worstelen jij en je team met automated testing en performance? Kom naar onze meetup waar ervaren sprekers hun inzichten en ervaringen delen over het bouwen van robuuste en efficiënte applicaties. Schrijf je in voor een avond vol kennis, heerlijk eten en een mix van creativiteit en technologie! 🚀 18:00 – 🚪 Deuren open 18:15 – 🍕 Food & drinks 19:00 – 📢 Talk 1 20:00 – 🍹 Kleine pauze 20:15 – 📢 Talk 2 21:00 – 🙋♀️ Drinks 22:00 – 🍻 Tot de volgende keer? Tijdens deze meetup gaan we dieper in op automated testing en performance. Onze sprekers delen heel wat praktische inzichten en ervaringen. Ze vertellen je hoe je effectieve geautomatiseerde tests kunt schrijven en onderhouden, en hoe je de prestaties van je applicatie kunt optimaliseren. Houd onze updates in de gaten voor meer informatie over de sprekers en hun specifieke onderwerpen. Over iO Wij zijn iO: een groeiend team van experts die end-to-end-diensten aanbieden voor communicatie en digitale transformatie. We denken groot en werken lokaal. Aan strategie, creatie, content, marketing en technologie. In nauwe samenwerking met onze klanten om hun merken te versterken, hun digitale systemen te verbeteren en hun toekomstbestendige groei veilig te stellen. We helpen klanten niet alleen hun zakelijke doelen te bereiken. Samen verkennen en benutten we de eindeloze mogelijkheden die markten in constante verandering bieden. De springplank voor die visie is talent. Onze campus is onze broedplaats voor innovatie, die een omgeving creëert die talent de ruimte en stimulans geeft die het nodig heeft om te ontkiemen, te ontwikkelen en te floreren. Want werken aan de infinite opportunities van morgen, dat doen we vandaag.
| Coven of Wisdom Herentals
Go to page for Coven of Wisdom - Herentals - Winter `24 editionMastering Event-Driven Design
PLEASE RSVP SO THAT WE KNOW HOW MUCH FOOD WE WILL NEED Are you and your team struggling with event-driven microservices? Join us for a meetup with Mehmet Akif Tütüncü, a senior software engineer, who has given multiple great talks so far and Allard Buijze founder of CTO and founder of AxonIQ, who built the fundaments of the Axon Framework. RSVP for an evening of learning, delicious food, and the fusion of creativity and tech! 🚀 18:00 – 🚪 Doors open to the public 18:15 – 🍕 Let’s eat 19:00 – 📢 Getting Your Axe On Event Sourcing with Axon Framework 20:00 – 🍹 Small break 20:15 – 📢 Event-Driven Microservices - Beyond the Fairy Tale 21:00 – 🙋♀️ drinks 22:00 – 🍻 See you next time? Details: Getting Your Axe On - Event Sourcing with Axon Framework In this presentation, we will explore the basics of event-driven architecture using Axon Framework. We'll start by explaining key concepts such as Event Sourcing and Command Query Responsibility Segregation (CQRS), and how they can improve the scalability and maintainability of modern applications. You will learn what Axon Framework is, how it simplifies implementing these patterns, and see hands-on examples of setting up a project with Axon Framework and Spring Boot. Whether you are new to these concepts or looking to understand them more, this session will provide practical insights and tools to help you build resilient and efficient applications. Event-Driven Microservices - Beyond the Fairy Tale Our applications need to be faster, better, bigger, smarter, and more enjoyable to meet our demanding end-users needs. In recent years, the way we build, run, and operate our software has changed significantly. We use scalable platforms to deploy and manage our applications. Instead of big monolithic deployment applications, we now deploy small, functionally consistent components as microservices. Problem. Solved. Right? Unfortunately, for most of us, microservices, and especially their event-driven variants, do not deliver on the beautiful, fairy-tale-like promises that surround them.In this session, Allard will share a different take on microservices. We will see that not much has changed in how we build software, which is why so many “microservices projects” fail nowadays. What lessons can we learn from concepts like DDD, CQRS, and Event Sourcing to help manage the complexity of our systems? He will also show how message-driven communication allows us to focus on finding the boundaries of functionally cohesive components, which we can evolve into microservices should the need arise.
| Coven of Wisdom - Utrecht
Go to page for Mastering Event-Driven Design