HTTP/2 is approaching at warp speed
From the early days of painful 33.6k dial-up, to high speed cable broadband and 4G, we've all experienced the highs and lows of internet speed. Well, the web is about to get faster!
Since 1999, the World Wide Web connection has been governed by the HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) otherwise familiar to most as the http:// at the beginning of a website address. The next version leading on from HTTP1.1 is HTTP/2, a more modern protocol that essentially speeds up web browsing by using new ways to transport data between a user's browser and server over the internet. HTTP/2 uses most of the same technologies as HTTP1.1 and is completely backwards compatible, however is more efficient and allows servers to respond with more content than was originally requested. This removes the need for the user's computer to frequently send requests for more information until a website is entirely loaded.
Over on the mobile side, the new protocol will also speed up browsing on mobile devices. Mobile browsing is often held back by the lengthy time taken for a request to travel from a tablet or smartphone, to a server over a mobile connection. Since the new protocol allows for multiple requests too, it should cut load times considerably.
What do I need to do? Nothing! The transition is expected to occur sometime in 2016. Everything will be business as usual for the end-user. The address bar will still show http:// whilst the browser with automatically switch between HTTP1.1 and HTTP/2 as required, resulting in quicker speeds.
