HTTP - technical definition
Whenever a user types a URL into the browser and presses the Enter key, his or her computer sends an HTTP request to the correct Webserver. The Webserver, developed to handle such requests, then sends the user the requested HTML page. Or to be entirely accurate, a Webserver can send HTML back to a browser dynamically and not necessarily in a page. Dynamic languages, such as PHP (PHP: Hypertext Processor), can generate HTML dynamically and not deal with it in a page.
Some important Websites related to detecting and curbing cracking activities, cyberterrorism, and cybercrimes include http://www.2600.com, the Website for 2600: The Hacker Quarterly; http://www.antionline.com, the Website for Antionline (AO), a place where members share their knowledge to help others learn to identify and mitigate security issues regarding real-world events; and http://www.cert.org, the Website for the CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC), a center of Internet security expertise located at the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.
See Also: HTML (HyperText Markup Language); Internet; URL or Uniformed Resource Locator; World Wide Web (WWW).
See HTTP in Computer
(HyperText Transfer Protocol) The communications protocol used to connect to Web servers on the Internet or on a local network (intranet). Its primary function is to establish a connection with the server and send HTML pages back to the user's browser. It is also used to download files from the server either to the browser or to any other requesting application that uses HTTP.
HTTP vs. HTTPS
With HTTP, the Web page is transmitted without any encryption. However, HTTPS (HTTP Secure) is used to encrypt sensitive data such as credit card and social security numbers (see HTTPS).
A Stateless Connection
HTTP is a "stateless" request/response system. The connection is maintained between client and server only for the immediate request, and the connection is closed. After the HTTP client establishes a TCP connection with the server and sends it a request command, the server sends back its response and closes the connection.
The first version of HTTP caused considerable overhead. Each time a graphics file on the page was requested, a new protocol connection had to be established between the browser and the server. In HTTP Version 1.1, multiple files could be downloaded with the same connection. It also improved caching and made it easier to create virtual hosts (multiple Web sites on the same server). See HTTP header and cookie.
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