What is the key difference between HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2?

The Performance Difference: HTTP/1.1 vs. HTTP/2

HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 are two major versions of the HTTP protocol used for transferring data over the internet. While they share similarities, one key difference sets them apart in terms of performance.

HTTP/1.1: Sequential Handling

In HTTP/1.1, requests and responses are handled in a sequential manner. This means that when a client sends a request to the server, it must wait for the server to respond before sending the next request. This sequential handling can lead to speed issues, especially when dealing with multiple requests.

HTTP/2: Introducing Multiplexing

HTTP/2 addresses the performance limitations of HTTP/1.1 by introducing a feature called multiplexing. With multiplexing, multiple requests can be processed simultaneously over a single connection. This means that multiple request and response messages can be in flight at the same time, leading to improved efficiency and speed.

Final Answer:

The key difference between HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 lies in performance. HTTP/1.1 handles requests sequentially which can lead to speed issues. HTTP/2 introduces multiplexing, allowing multiple requests to be processed simultaneously.

Explanation:

The key difference between HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 primarily lies in their performance. HTTP/1.1 handles requests and responses in a sequential order which can lead to a performance issue known as 'head-of-line blocking' where the processing of the entire queue of requests is slowed down by the first slow request. HTTP/2, on the other hand, introduces multiplexing, which permits multiple request and response messages to be in flight at the same time; it is therefore possible to use a single connection for parallelism. As a result, there's difference in speed and efficacy between HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2, with HTTP/2 being far more efficient.