HTTP Protocols

HTTP Protocols

Introduction

The Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the application-layer protocol used for communication between clients and servers on the web. It enables retrieval of resources such as HTML, JSON, or binary content by defining a standardized format for request and response messages.

HTTP is stateless, meaning each request is independent unless explicitly managed using sessions, cookies, or tokens.

HTTP vs HTTPS

Feature	HTTP	HTTPS
Encryption	No	Yes (via TLS)
Default Port	80	443
Visibility	Unencrypted, readable by intermediaries	Encrypted end-to-end
Certificate Required	No	Yes (X.509 certificate)

HTTPS is HTTP over TLS (Transport Layer Security). It provides integrity, confidentiality, and authentication using cryptographic certificates and a handshake process.

Request Structure

An HTTP request typically consists of:

• A request line

 e.g., `GET /index.html HTTP/1.1`

• Request headers

 e.g., `Host`, `User-Agent`, `Accept`, `Content-Type`

• Optional body (for methods like POST or PUT)

Example:

GET /resource HTTP/1.1  
Host: example.com  
User-Agent: curl/8.0  
Accept: */*

Response Structure

An HTTP response from a server includes:

• A status line

 e.g., `HTTP/1.1 200 OK`

• Response headers

 e.g., `Content-Type`, `Server`, `Set-Cookie`

• Optional body (e.g., JSON, HTML, binary data)

Example:

HTTP/1.1 200 OK  
Content-Type: application/json  
Content-Length: 48  
 
{"status":"ok","data":["value1","value2"]}

HTTP Methods

Method	Description	Notes
GET	Retrieves a resource	No side effects expected
POST	Submits data to a resource	Used for creating or triggering actions
PUT	Replaces a resource	Idempotent
PATCH	Partially modifies a resource	Efficient for small updates
DELETE	Removes a resource	Use with caution
HEAD	Same as GET but returns headers only	Used for validation
OPTIONS	Returns allowed methods for a resource	Used in CORS preflight

Status Codes

HTTP status codes are three-digit numbers returned by the server to indicate the result of a request. They are grouped into five categories based on their first digit.

Code	Category	Meaning	Example Scenario
100	Informational	Continue	Client should continue the request
101	Informational	Switching Protocols	Protocol upgrade requested
200	Success	OK	Standard response for successful request
201	Success	Created	Resource successfully created (e.g., via POST)
204	Success	No Content	Request succeeded, no body returned
301	Redirection	Moved Permanently	Resource has a new permanent URI
302	Redirection	Found	Temporarily redirected to another URI
304	Redirection	Not Modified	Cached content is still valid
400	Client Error	Bad Request	Malformed syntax or invalid parameters
401	Client Error	Unauthorized	Authentication required
403	Client Error	Forbidden	Request denied despite authentication
404	Client Error	Not Found	Resource not found at requested URI
405	Client Error	Method Not Allowed	Method not supported on resource
408	Client Error	Request Timeout	Server timed out waiting for request
429	Client Error	Too Many Requests	Rate-limiting or abuse prevention
500	Server Error	Internal Server Error	Generic server failure
502	Server Error	Bad Gateway	Invalid response from upstream server
503	Server Error	Service Unavailable	Server temporarily overloaded or down
504	Server Error	Gateway Timeout	Upstream server did not respond in time

Important Headers

Header	Purpose
Host	Indicates the domain being requested
User-Agent	Identifies the requesting client
Accept	Lists acceptable response formats
Authorization	Contains credentials (e.g., Basic or Bearer)
Content-Type	Declares media type of the request/response body
Set-Cookie	Instructs browser to store a cookie
Referer	Specifies origin of the request
X-Forwarded-For	Shows original IP behind proxy

Session Handling

Because HTTP is stateless, persistent user sessions require one or more of the following:

• Cookies – Stored on the client to identify a session
• Session IDs – Server-stored session reference
• JWT (JSON Web Tokens) – Signed token containing session data

These mechanisms allow users to remain "logged in" and retain application context across requests.

Caching and Proxying

Caching is used to reduce latency and bandwidth usage. Proxy servers and browsers often store cacheable responses using headers like:

• `Cache-Control`
• `ETag`
• `Last-Modified`
• `Expires`

Caching behavior is controlled using these headers to define rules like expiration time, revalidation conditions, or cache-bypass.

TLS Handshake (in HTTPS)

The TLS handshake occurs before any HTTP data is exchanged:

• ClientHello: Client proposes supported ciphers and sends a random value
• ServerHello: Server selects a cipher and provides its certificate
• Key exchange: Secure key is derived
• Symmetric encryption begins

This secures the session and validates the server identity.

Diagnostic Tools

Tool	Example Usage	Function
curl	curl -v https://example.com	Command-line HTTP client
wget	wget https://example.com/file.txt	File downloader
tcpdump	tcpdump -A -i eth0 port 80	Inspect raw HTTP packets
mitmproxy	mitmproxy -p 8080	Intercept and modify traffic
browser devtools	F12 → Network tab	View request and response headers

Common Weaknesses

• Sensitive data in query parameters (GET)
• Lack of TLS encryption on login forms
• Broad `Access-Control-Allow-Origin` headers
• Improper use of caching for private data
• Default error pages revealing server information

See also

• curl
• /tcpdump