Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) defines how clients and servers exchange requests and responses on the web.

Format
Web & Development
Updated
Updated
Glossary Web & Development
Hypertext Transfer Protocol Also known as HTTP.Aliases: web protocol.

Definition

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) defines how clients and servers exchange requests and responses on the web.

How it works

Each exchange is simple: the client sends a method such as GET or POST, a target, and headers; the server replies with a status code, headers, and usually content. The protocol itself remembers nothing between requests — every login session and shopping cart you have ever used is an application working around that with cookies or tokens.

Example: A browser sends a GET request and receives an HTML document with a 200 status code.

Often confused: HTTPS is the same protocol carried over an encrypted TLS connection.

Sources

Last reviewed 2026-07-19.