HTTP

HTTP is referred to as a protocol (a set order of rules and formats) that serves the exchange of data on the Internet. The Hypertext Transfer Protocol, as HTTP is expanded in English, facilitates the establishment of a connection between client and server, allowing content to be requested and transmitted. HTTP is widespread as a transmission protocol in the World Wide Web, but it's not the only model for data transmission. Alternatively, there are protocols like FTP (for uploading and downloading files between client and server) or HTTPS (which ensures secure transmission, for example with email providers, online banking, or online shopping) that only allow data transmission after authentication. In HTTP, communications exchanged between client and server are referred to as messages. While the client (web browser) sends a request to the server by entering a URL or clicking a link, it receives a response from the server containing the requested information.

In an example, the functionality of HTTP can be described more understandably: When a URL is typed into the address bar of the web browser, for example www.beispielseite.de/beispieltext.html, the server hosting the website receives a request to send the source /beispieltext.html of the requested page. In fact, the command http:// is prefixed to the address to signal to the browser what type of content it is. Usually, the web browsers add this automatically. A Domain Name System Protocol (short: DNS Protocol) determines the corresponding IP address of the domain, which can sometimes be done via multiple computers. The result: After entering the URL, the user is directed to the corresponding page. If the requested information cannot be sent because the server or the website is not responding, the user receives an error message. How long the request or the loading of the website takes depends on various factors such as the quality of the connection or the amount of data. The individual elements of the HTML document load at different speeds. Usually, texts appear relatively quickly, while images, graphics, and videos require more loading time due to the higher data volume.

Development at CERN

HTTP was developed, like many initial structures and functions around the Internet, at CERN – the European Organization for Nuclear Research in Switzerland. Pioneering the foundations of the World Wide Web were the works of Tim Berners-Lee and Roy Fielding, who began designing HTTP in 1989 – as well as URL and HTML as the markup language of the Internet.