The first complete reference guide to the essential Web protocol. As applications and services converge and Web technologies

not only assume HTTP but require developers to manipulate it, it is becoming increasingly crucial for network managers, Web

masters, and anyone working with HTTP to understand the nuts and bolts of this most prevalent Web protocol. This book

provides complete documentation and explanation of the protocol, including advanced and experimental extensions. Readers will

get core guidance on implementing HTTP 1.1 in their products, including how to accelerate HTTP in large scale Web sites, how

to secure it, and how to handle compatibility issues with versions 0.9 and 1.0. HTTP switching and invisible HTTP operations

such as option negotiations, status checks, and path tracing are also examined.