Difference between HTTP1.1 vs HTTP

HTTP is a top-level application protocol which exchanges the information between a client computer and a local or remote web server. In this process, a client sends a text-based request to a server by calling a method like GET or POST. In response, the server sends resources like an HTML page back to the client.

HTTP/1.1 is the third version of HTTP and serving as the standard protocol for over 15 years. It introduced persistent connections for improved performance and laid the foundation for standard requests, such as GET, HEAD, PUT, and POST.

HTTP/2 is derived from the SPDY protocol (By Google)to improve the online experience through speeding up the page to load and by reducing round-trip time (RTT), especially on heavy resource web pages. Nowadays websites became more resource-intensive, HTTP/1.1’s limitations began specifically, its use of one outstanding request per TCP connection created significant overhead, slowing down the page load times. the SPDY protocols can reduce web page load latency by using techniques such as compression, multiplexing, and prioritization.

HTTP/2 was modified to include unique features, including a fixed header compression algorithm, (in contrast to SPDY’s dynamic stream-based compression).

The HTTP/2 is advanced as compared to HTTP/1.1 in the speed of content delivery and improved user experience with the help of below-mentioned adaptions.

Binary protocols — Binary protocols consume only less bandwidth and are more efficiently parsed and are less error-prone than the textual protocols used by HTTP/1.1. Additionally, they can better handle elements such as whitespace, capitalization and line endings.

Multiplexing — HTTP/2 is multiplexed and it can initiate multiple requests in parallel in a single TCP connection. As a result, the web pages containing several elements are delivered over one TCP connection. These can solve the head-of-line blocking problem in HTTP/1.1, in which a packet at the front of the line blocks others from being transmitted.

Header compression — Is to reduce the overhead caused by TCP’s slow-start mechanism.

Server push — HTTP/2 servers can push likely-to-be-used resources into a browser’s cache, even before the request. This will allows browsers to display content without additional request cycles.

security Improvement — Web browsers only support HTTP/2 on encrypted connections, which increases user and application security.