Release It!, 2nd Edition

Handshaking

Handshaking refers to signaling between devices that regulate communication between them. Serial protocols such as EIA-232C (formerly known as RS-232) rely on the receiver to indicate when it’s ready to receive data. Analog modems used a form of handshaking to negotiate a speed and a signal encoding that both devices would agree upon. And, as illustrated earlier in the three-phase handshake, TCP uses a three-phase handshake to establish a socket connection. TCP handshaking also allows the receiver to signal the sender to stop sending data until the receiver is ready. Handshaking is ubiquitous in low-level communications protocols but is almost nonexistent at the application level.

The sad truth is that HTTP isn’t good at shaking ...