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Brian Cryer's Glossary of IT Terms with Links

HTTP

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Network protocol for the transfer of web or intranet pages (for subsequent display or other purpose).

HTTP is not a secure protocol. All communications with HTTP occurs in plain text. cf HTTPS and SHTTP.

HTTP typically uses port 80 (the default port for HTTP), but the protocol allows for other port numbers to be used. Since some ISPs block port 80, typical alternative ports are port 8080 and 8000, but these are by convention and are not part of the HTTP standard.

Relevant links:

www.faqs.org/rfcs/rfc2616.html - HTTP is defined by RFC 2616.
http://dhillman.com/theplace/advweb/server/http_defined.htm - Detailed overview of HTTP.

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