What is HTTP?

HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. It is the foundation of data communication on the World Wide Web. When you visit a website, your browser uses HTTP to request web pages from servers and display them to you.

HTTP is a request-response protocol: your browser (the client) sends a request, and the server responds with the requested resource (like an HTML page, image, or video). HTTP is stateless, meaning each request is independent and does not retain information about previous requests.

Modern web applications often use HTTPS, which is HTTP over TLS/SSL, providing encryption and security for data in transit.