HTTP Full Form

Last Updated : 26 Jun, 2024

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HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. It is the main way

web browsers and servers communicate to share information on the
internet. Tim Berner invents it. HyperText is the type of text that is
specially coded with the help of some standard coding language
called HyperText Markup Language (HTML). HTTP/2 is the new
version of HTTP. HTTP/3 is the latest version of HTTP, which is
published in 2022.
When you visit a website, HTTP helps your browser request and
receive the data needed to display the web pages you see. It is a
fundamental part of how the internet works, making it possible for
us to browse and interact with websites. In this article, we are going
to discuss the Full form of HTTP along with its working, advantages,
and disadvantages.
What is the Full Form of HTTP?
HTTP stands for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol.” It is a set of rules for
sharing data on the World Wide Web (WWW). HTTP helps web
browsers and servers communicate, allowing people to access and
share information over the internet.
Key Points
 Basic Structure: HTTP forms the foundation of the web,
enabling data communication and file sharing.
 Web Browsing: Most websites use HTTP, so when you click
on a link or download a file, HTTP is at work.
 Client-Server Model: HTTP works on a request-response
system. Your browser (client) asks for information, and the
website’s server responds with the data.
 Application Layer Protocol: HTTP operates within the
Internet Protocol Suite, managing how data is transmitted
and received.
What is HyperText?
The protocol used to transfer hypertext between two computers is
known as HyperText Transfer Protocol. HTTP provides a standard
between a web browser and a web server to establish
communication. It is a set of rules for transferring data from one
computer to another. Data such as text, images, and other
multimedia files are shared on the World Wide Web. Whenever a
web user opens their web browser, the user indirectly uses HTTP. It
is an application protocol that is used for distributed, collaborative,
hypermedia information systems.
Working of HTTP [HyperText Transfer
Protocol]
First of all, whenever we want to open any website we first open a
web browser after that we will type the URL of that website (e.g.,
www.facebook.com ). This URL is now sent to the Domain Name
Server (DNS). Then DNS first checks records for this URL in their
database, and then DNS will return the IP address to the web
browser corresponding to this URL. Now the browser is able to send
requests to the actual server.
After the server sends data to the client, the connection will be
closed. If we want something else from the server we should have
to re-establish the connection between the client and the server.

Working off HTTPs

What is an HTTP Request?

HTTP request is simply termed as the information or data that is
needed by Internet browsers for loading a website. This is simply
known as HTTP Request.
There is some common information that is generally present in all
HTTP requests. These are mentioned below.
 HTTP Version
 URL
 HTTP Method
 HTTP Request Headers
 HTTP Body
HTTP Request Headers
HTTP Request Headers generally store information in the form of
key-value and must be present in each HTTP Request. The use of
this Request Header is to provide core information about the
client’s information, etc.
HTTP Request Body
HTTP Request Body simply contains the information that has to be
transferred. HTTP Request has the information or data to be sent to
these browsers.
HTTP Method
HTTP Methods are simply HTTP Verb. In spite of being present so
many HTTP Methods, the most common HTTP Methods are HTTP
GET and HTTP POST . These two are generally used in HTTP cases.
In HTTP GET, the information is received in the form of a website.
What is HTTP Response?
HTTP Response is simply the answer to what a Server gets when
the request is raised. There are various things contained in HTTP
Response, some of them are listed below.
 HTTP Status Code
 HTTP Headers
 HTTP Body
 HTTP Response

HTTP Response Headers

HTTP Response headers are simply like an HTTP Request where it
has that work to send some important files and data to the HTTP
Response Body.
HTTP Response Body
HTTP Responses are the responses that are received successfully
upon the request. Generally, it comes under the requests
generated by the web. In most cases, the request is to transfer the
HTML data into a webpage.

What is an HTTP Status Code?

HTTP Status Codes are the 3-digit codes that tell the message or
simply tell us about the HTTP Request whether it has been
completed or not. There are simply 5 types of status codes.
 Informational
 Successful
 Re-directional
 Client-Error
 Server-Error

History of HTTP
Tim Berners Lee and his team at CERN get credit for inventing
original HTTP and associated technologies.
 HTTP version 0.9: This was the first version of HTTP which
was introduced in 1991.
 HTTP version 1.0: In 1996, RFC 1945 (Request For
Comments) was introduced in HTTP version 1.0.
 HTTP version 1.1: In January 1997, RFC 2068 was
introduced in HTTP version 1.1. Improvements and updates
to the HTTP version 1.1 standard were released under RFC
2616 in June 1999.
 HTTP version 2.0: The HTTP version 2.0 specification was
published as RFC 7540 on May 14, 2015.
 HTTP version 3.0: HTTP version 3.0 is based on the
previous RFC draft. It is renamed as Hyper-Text Transfer
Protocol QUIC which is a transport layer network protocol
developed by Google.
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Characteristics of HTTP
HTTP is IP based communication protocol that is used to deliver
data from server to client or vice-versa.
 The server processes a request, which is raised by the
client, and also server and client know each other only
during the current bid and response period.
 Any type of content can be exchanged as long as the server
and client are compatible with it.
  Once data is exchanged, servers and clients are no longer
connected.
 It is a request and response protocol based on client and
server requirements.
 It is a connection-less protocol because after the
connection is closed, the server does not remember
anything about the client and the client does not remember
anything about the server.
 It is a stateless protocol because both client and server do
not expect anything from each other but they are still able
to communicate.

Cookies in HTTP
An HTTP cookie (web cookie, browser cookie) is a little piece of
data that a server transmits to a user’s web browser. When making
subsequent queries, the browser may keep the cookie and transmit
it back to the same server. An HTTP cookie is typically used, for
example, to maintain a user’s login state, and to determine
whether two requests originate from the same browser. For the
stateless HTTP protocol, it retains stateful information.

HTTP status code

Three-digit codes known as HTTP status codes are most frequently
used to show if an HTTP request has been fulfilled successfully. The
five blocks below represent the breakdown of status codes:
 1x Informative
 2xx Achievement
 3xx Reorientation
 4xx Client Mistake
 5xx Error on the Server
Different numbers between 00 and 99 are denoted by the “xx”.
Status codes that begin with “2” denote a successful outcome. For
instance, the most typical answers sent after a client requests a
webpage have a status code of “200 OK,” which denotes that the
request was successfully fulfilled.
Can DDoS attacks be launched over HTTP?
Remember that because HTTP is a “stateless” protocol, every
command executed over it operates independently of every other
operation. Each HTTP request opened and terminated a TCP
connection according to the original specification. Multiple HTTP
requests can now flow over a persistent TCP connection in HTTP 1.1
and later versions of the protocol, which improves resource use.
Large-scale HTTP requests are regarded as application layer or
layer 7 attacks in the context of DoS or DDoS attacks, and they can
be used to mount an attack on a target device.

Advantages of HTTP
 Memory usage and CPU usage are low because of fewer
simultaneous connections.
 Since there are few TCP connections hence network
congestion is less.
 Since handshaking is done at the initial connection stage,
then latency is reduced because there is no further need
for handshaking for subsequent requests.
 The error can be reported without closing the connection.
 HTTP allows HTTP pipe-lining of requests or responses.
Disadvantages of HTTP
 HTTP requires high power to establish communication and
transfer data.
 HTTP is less secure because it does not use any encryption
method like HTTPS and uses TLS to encrypt regular HTTP
requests and responses.
 HTTP is not optimized for cellular phones and it is too
gabby.
 HTTP does not offer a genuine exchange of data because it
is less secure.
 The client does not close the connection until it receives
complete data from the server; hence, the server needs to
wait for data completion and cannot be available for other
clients during this time.
Conclusion
In summary, HTTP stands for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol” and is
essential for web communication. It enables your browser to
request and receive information from websites, making online
browsing possible. HTTP is the basic method used by web browsers
and servers to communicate and share information on the internet,
making it possible for us to browse and interact with websites.