Learning HTTP/2

Chapter 7. HTTP/2 Implementations

A contributor to the success of HTTP/2 is the support it received in terms of the number of implementations available in mainstream tools. Even before the RFC was finalized, a significant portion of the internet user base was talking h2 behind the scenes, unknowingly reaping the benefits of the “next best thing to hit the web.” Support was not limited to a fringe of experimental browsers and web servers. Rather, the most popular browsers, servers, proxies, caches, and command-line tools included h2 early on. Understanding what is available and what options exist for the various implementations is important for your development plan, whether its goal is targeting your web user base, or choosing a web server or proxy.

As the internet moves faster than the speed of the written word, there is no chance we will hit every functionality corner case or list every supporting piece of software. This chapter will at least serve as an overview of features to look for and a good place to start in your selection efforts.

Desktop Web Browsers

Browsers are developed so that you do not need to understand anything about h2 in order to use it. Everyone who uses a modern popular web browser is already using h2 on a daily basis. HTTP/2 causes things to work slightly differently than before, however, and understanding those differences and the different features that surround them can be important for your development and debugging efforts.

TLS Only

All browsers ...