Part 4. The future of HTTP

By now, you should have in-depth knowledge of the HTTP/2 protocol and be in a position to fully understand the specification. In this final part, I look at the future of HTTP. HTTP/2 is here and now, being used by an increasing number of websites, but those who help define internet protocols aren’t sitting on their laurels. In some ways, HTTP/2 is old news, and people are already looking at the next advancement of the protocol.

Chapter 9 looks at QUIC. QUIC is a new protocol that aims to continue the work started with HTTP/2 and address problems lower in the TCP layer. It’s due for standardization imminently (and may already be standardized by the time this book is published), but I suspect that it may take a bit longer to be in widespread use. QUIC uses many of the concepts of HTTP/2, so readers who have made it this far should be in a strong position to start learning this protocol and perhaps help with its adoption.

Back up the protocol layer, in chapter 10, I also look at HTTP and where (and how) it might evolve. HTTP has been robust and extensible, and HTTP/2 continues this concept, so there are numerous options for taking the protocol further.