Networking Beginner

What is HTTP/HTTPS?

The protocol used for transferring web pages and data between browsers and servers, with HTTPS adding encryption.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) defines how messages are formatted and transmitted on the web. Methods include GET (retrieve), POST (submit), PUT (update), DELETE (remove). Status codes indicate outcomes (200 OK, 404 Not Found, 500 Server Error).

HTTPS adds TLS/SSL encryption, ensuring data confidentiality, integrity, and authentication via certificates. HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 improve performance with multiplexing and reduced latency.

Related Terms

The seven-layer Open Systems Interconnection model that standardizes network communication functions from physical transmission to application protocols.

ARP (Address Resolution Protocol)

A protocol that maps IP addresses to physical MAC addresses on a local network segment.

DNS (Domain Name System)

A hierarchical naming system that translates human-readable domain names into IP addresses.

BGP (Border Gateway Protocol)

The routing protocol that makes the internet work by exchanging routing information between autonomous systems.

Two transport layer protocols: TCP provides reliable, ordered delivery while UDP provides fast, connectionless delivery without guarantees.

VPN (Virtual Private Network)

A technology that creates an encrypted tunnel between your device and a remote server, securing internet traffic.

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