Benefits of HTTP2

Introduction

It has not been an easy task for developers to make websites as accessible and reliable as they are today, so here we discuss the benefits of HTTP2.

Taking decades of work, that success was driven by the creation of external software and add-ons that complement the existing framework of an application or website.

Now there is a new performance-enhancing alternative:

The HTTP2HTTP2, a new protocol update for HTTP by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). HTTP2 is the spiritual successor to HTTP/1 and provides much needed changes in security, speed and usability.

We will explore some of the main features of the protocol implementation and the main benefits of HTTP2:

Don't be afraid to upgrade

For starters, HTTP2 is backwards compatible with HTTP / 1. When you decide to make the switch, your users do not necessarily know that they are browsing on HTTP2. Anyone using a device that does not support HTTP / 2 will encounter no difficulties and will automatically revert to browsing via the HTTP / 1 protocol.

Debunking the TLS myth

There has been a lot of confusion (or possibly misinformation) about whether HTTP2 works only over a secure TLS connection. While many articles have commented on it, there is no mention of such a statement in the final draft of HTTP2. In fact, it indicates that HTTP/2 can run over a TCP connection as well.

However, based on security considerations, companies such as Google (Chrome) and Firefox (Mozilla) have publicly stated that they will only enable HTTP2 browsing in their browsers if the given website is running over a secure connection.

Multiplexing - Multiple requests per connection

With HTTP / 1 it is much easier to download a single large file than to place hundreds of small files one after the other. At the same time, there are significant performance leaks and the client needs to download the whole file to get only a few icons per page refresh.

HTTP2 makes a considerable improvement to this, with a feature called multiplexing. Multiplexing allows the client to load multiple requests on the same connection, allowing faster concurrent load times for all important web assets.

Prioritise - Loading essential resources first

One of the pitfalls of HTTP / 1 is file minification. JavaScript and CSS. This was done to save bandwidth and ultimately, improving performance based on smaller file sizes.

The new HTTP2 prioritisation will allow developers to assign dependency levels for their code. Because requests are simultaneous with HTTP2, uploading a dozen small files of style sheets will not be a problem.

HPACK compression - Header rubbish reduction

HTTP / 1 transmits server requests and responses in plain text, which leads to a large amount of leftover data being transferred. HTTP 2 reduces the amount of data by transmitting it in binary code, and keeping it simple for a client computer to interpret the information sent.

Not only will this improve performance, but mobile device users will feel a noticeable improvement in both loading time and overall performance.

Google favouritism

Google already favours sites that use HTTP 2.
In multiple ways, Google championed many features of the HTTP 2 protocol. If we go back to November 2009, Google's research team announced the SPeeDY (SPDY) project, with the goal of making the web faster.

And some of the features SPDY introduced were:

• Optimised simultaneous downloads within a single TCP connection.
• Allow browsers to look for the crucial assets of a web page first.
• Optimise and improve HTTP header compression.
• The integration of a feature known as "Server Push", which allows the server to deliver crucial data before the browser requests it.

HTTP/2 has followed in the footsteps of the SPDY project. Google always favours those who are following the latest trends and methods that improve the web experience.

They have made it clear that there will be no direct improvement in search engine ranking just by choosing to use HTTP/2.

Instead, the website speed (which is strongly related to and enhanced by HTTP/2) will continue to be a ranking factor for Google (it is said, as GoogleBot has been updated to support HTTP/2 as well).

So is the switch to HTTP2 worth it?

Of course! Given the fact that HTTP/2 is both browser-compatible, there is little to lose. See improve the infrastructure of a website not only in performance, but also in customer satisfaction. Therefore, given the benefits of HTTP2, making the switch is recommended.