Chapter 10. Where HTTP goes from here

 

This chapter covers

  • Controversies of HTTP/2
  • HTTP/2 use since launch
  • Extending HTTP beyond HTTP/2
  • HTTP as a more generic transport layer

The HTTP/2 specification was formally approved in May 2015, nearly 20 years after HTTP/1.0 was introduced and quickly replaced by HTTP/1.1. During this time, the internet has become an integral part of everyone’s life, and the fact that HTTP/1.1 has lasted so well speaks volumes about the protocol. For a long time, however, the protocol stalled, and attempts to move it forward failed,[1] were limited to more accurately documenting HTTP/1.1, or added limited new functionality through HTTP headers.

Now that HTTP/2 is here and rapidly being rolled out across the internet,[2] where does HTTP go from here? How has HTTP/2 fared in the real world? Are the major problems with HTTP now solved? Will it be 20 years before the next major innovation of the protocol, or is a new phase of innovation in the internet leading to a much greater rate of change? This chapter attempts to answer these questions and make some educated guesses about how HTTP will evolve.

10.1. Controversies of HTTP/2 and what it didn’t fix

10.2. HTTP/2 in the real world

10.3. Future versions of HTTP/2 and what HTTP/3 or HTTP/4 may bring

10.4. HTTP as a more generic transport protocol

Summary

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