Hypertext Transfer Protocol

Draft

Definition

HTTP defines how a web server and a client (e.g. a web browser) communicate. It is one of the most important applications layer standards of the Internet.

According to Wikipedia, “Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is a method used to transfer or convey information on the World Wide Web. Its original purpose was to provide a way to publish and retrieve HTML pages. Development of HTTP was coordinated by the World Wide Web Consortium and the Internet Engineering Task Force, culminating in the publication of a series of RFCs, most notably RFC 2616 (1999), which defines HTTP/1.1, the version of HTTP in common use today. (retrieved 17:57, 28 March 2007 (MEST))”

Links

Standards

• RFC 2616 / HTTP 1.1

Introductory texts

• Wikipedia HTTP article

Other

• HTTP Status Codes (e.g. the numbers you see in your navigator when something goes wrong)