HTTP: Librarian turns Magician
In the world of the internet, there were three different ways, websites and your web browser communicated, each with its own unique characteristics.
HTTPS - The Secure Sentinel:
Imagine you’re sending a secret letter to a friend. You want to make sure nobody can read it while it’s being delivered. That’s where HTTPS comes in. It’s like a special courier service that ensures your letter is placed in a magical, unbreakable envelope.
So, when you visit a website using HTTPS, it’s like sending and receiving letters in those super-secure envelopes. Nobody can peek inside or tamper with your message. You’ll know it’s working because your web address starts with “https://” and often has a little padlock icon, indicating that your connection is super safe.
HTTP/1.1 - The Traditional Messenger:
Now, imagine you’re in a library, and you need to get several books from different shelves. Every time you want a book, you have to ask the librarian to fetch it for you. This is what HTTP/1.1 does. It’s like a librarian who’s very polite but has to go back and forth for every book you request.
So, for every web page element (like images, scripts, and styles), HTTP/1.1 sends a separate request to the server. This can be slow, especially for websites with lots of elements. It’s like having to ask the librarian over and over again for each book you want to read.
HTTP/2 - The Speedy Magician:
Now, here comes HTTP/2, the new kid on the block. Instead of sending requests like individual letters, it’s more like sending a magical box that can hold multiple items. This means you can ask the librarian for all the books you need in one go, and they magically appear in your hands.
HTTP/2 is like this efficient librarian who can carry many books at once. It can send multiple requests and receive multiple responses over a single connection, making web pages load faster. No more waiting for the librarian to make countless trips back and forth; you get all your books at once.
In the end, HTTPS keeps your communication secure like a fortified envelope, HTTP/1.1 is like the polite but slow librarian, and HTTP/2 is the speedy magician who gets everything to you at once. These three work together to make your internet experience safe and fast.