Introducing HTTP/2: What is it and How will it Affect your Website?

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) was founded in 1999 and has done the heavy lifting of bringing web pages to your web browser. When you are visiting a website, you create an HTTP request to the web server that delivers the particular web page. HTTP is limited compared to the technology available in 2015. The IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) will need to approve this new protocol before it goes live. To help you understand exactly what HTTP/2 is, we’ll touch on the specifics of the protocol, and how it expands on the basis of HTTP.

Where did HTTP/2 originate from?

Google invented SPDY (“speedy”) as a modification to HTTP. It helps reduce latency and provides better security. SPDY has been developed for a couple years now. Without getting too techy, SPYDY sends fewer data packets using a smaller amount of connections in a more efficient process. HTTP/2 now integrates every benefit offered by SPDY, and Google has responded by removing SPDY support in favor of HTTP/2.

What does HTTP/2 mean for the users?

Faster load times. Through HTTP/2 websites will be able to load even faster. You will not have to type http2:// in your browser to see these effects. It will all be used as the normal protocol seen with http://. All changes will be made behind the scenes. With the concept of HTTP/2, the data compression will provide an efficient release of your website’s information. This will create an advantage for the speed when using mobile devices.

What does HTTP/2 mean for developers?

Developers with the current HTTP/1.x protocol create their own hack of combining images (spriting) and CSS inlining. This creates additional problems with alignment and page speed. You can effectively cut down on the requests when implementing HTTP/2, which will lower the stress on the server. Developers must take speed into account across all platforms. Google is releasing a mobile-friendly algorithm update on April 21, which will impact sites worldwide.

Will HTTP disappear?

HTTP will not disappear. The way people use proxies and servers HTTP/1.x will likely stick around for some time after the introduction and evolvement of HTTP/2. Eventually, like all old technology, it will become obsolete.

What should you expect from HTTP/2?

You have to understand HTTP/2 is not the ultimate resolution for website page speed. Dropping this into your server does not increase your page speed load times by x%. The protocol removes key impediments to increase performance. Browsers and servers need to learn how to take advantage of this protocol, as it will improve over time. The implementations are growing quickly with HTTP/2, but most websites will be configured and composed with the limitations of HTTP/1 .x in mind. As with all new protocols, there will be a high level of vulnerability when HTTP/2 rolls out. Remember, HTTP/1.x is not secured as much as you would hope.

Will there be a HTTP/3?

Will there be a major update to HTTP/2 or will it be a whole new version to improve on? The official GitHub of HTTP/2 states that HTTP/3 is a great possibility in the future.

From a user standpoint, HTTP/2 will come through and make the web a faster place to browse for most users. As time goes on, the advancements and improvements will be an on-going transition for HTTP/2. 1SEO.com will stay with the updates of HTTP/2 and when the web is ready for this transition, we will be ready too.