What are HTTP and HTTPS Protocols?

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)

• HyperText Transfer Protocol(HTTP) is an application layer protocol (topmost layer in the OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) model and the TCP/IP model. It provides the interface and protocols that allow software applications to communicate over a network) that is used to access and transfer data(text, images, video, multimedia, etc) over the world wide web.

Examples of Application layer protocol:

HTTP/HTTPS: Used for web browsing.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol): Used for transferring files.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol): Used for sending emails.

DNS (Domain Name System): Translates domain names to IP addresses.

POP3/IMAP: Used for retrieving emails.

• HTTP is a client-server protocol (This means it works by having a client (like your web browser) send requests to a server (where websites are hosted) to get the data you want) that runs on top of the TCP/IP family of protocols and uses the request/response protocol.
• HTTP uses port number 80.?(A port is a logical endpoint used to differentiate network traffic for various services and applications.)
• In HTTP, the client sends a request message to the server. After the client responds, HTTP establishes a TCP connection between the client and the server. HTTP delivers a request to the server, which collects the data that was requested. After the server sends data to the client, the connection will be terminated.
• If we want something else from the server, we should have to re-establish the connection between client and server.

TCP/IP stands for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. It's a set of rules (protocols) that dictate how data is sent and received over the internet.

How TCP/IP Works

1. TCP (Transmission Control Protocol):

• Data Segmentation: TCP breaks down large amounts of data into smaller packets, which are easier to send over a network.
• Reliable Delivery: TCP ensures that all data packets reach their destination correctly and in the right order. If any packet is lost, TCP will resend it.
• Connection-Oriented: TCP establishes a connection between the sender and receiver before transmitting data. This connection remains active until all data is transferred.

2. IP (Internet Protocol):

• Addressing: IP is responsible for addressing and routing data packets. Each device on a network has a unique IP address, which allows data to be sent to the correct destination.
• Packet Routing: IP determines the best path for data packets to travel from the sender to the receiver. It uses routers to direct packets across different networks.

Key Features of HTTP:

• HTTP is Connectionless: After serving a single HTTP request, the client-server connection is closed and that same connection is never used again. Each request is made with a new connection.
• HTTP is Media Independent: It means that HTTP can send any type of data as long as both the client and the server understand how to process the data.
• HTTP is Stateless: After the connection is closed, both the client and server forget about each other.

HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure)

• Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure is a secure extension or version of HTTP that is used for providing security to the data sent over the world wide web.
• This protocol allows transferring the data in an encrypted form which is particularly important when users transmit sensitive data such as login credentials.
• HTTPS protocol uses the 443 port number for communicating the data.
• To encrypt communications HTTPS uses an encryption protocol called TLS (Transport Layer Security), formerly known as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer).

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