HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is the essential protocol for data communication on the World Wide Web. It operates as a request-response protocol between a client and server. Clients, such as web browsers, send requests to servers hosting web content. The server responds with the requested resources, such as HTML documents, images, and other media. HTTP defines how messages are formatted and transmitted and how servers and browsers should respond to various commands. It allows for the fetching of linked resources across the web, making the internet a vast interconnected space. The protocol operates primarily over TCP/IP, ensuring reliable data transfer. HTTP/1.1, the most commonly used version, introduced persistent connections, chunked transfer encoding, and additional cache control mechanisms, enhancing web performance and user experience.