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Diffstat (limited to 'docs/HTTP2.md')
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1 files changed, 74 insertions, 66 deletions
diff --git a/docs/HTTP2.md b/docs/HTTP2.md index e9084233b..863a3cee8 100644 --- a/docs/HTTP2.md +++ b/docs/HTTP2.md @@ -1,96 +1,104 @@ -HTTP2 with libcurl +HTTP/2 with curl +================ - Spec: http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7540.txt +[HTTP/2 Spec](http://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7540.txt) +[http2 explained](http://daniel.haxx.se/http2/) - Document explaining it: http://daniel.haxx.se/http2/ - - Build prerequisites +Build prerequisites +------------------- - nghttp2 - OpenSSL, NSS, GnutTLS or PolarSSL with a new enough version - nghttp2 (https://github.com/tatsuhiro-t/nghttp2) +[nghttp2](https://nghttp2.org/) +------------------------------- - libcurl uses this 3rd party library for the low level protocol handling - parts. The reason for this is that HTTP/2 is much more complex at that layer - than HTTP/1.1 (which we implement on our own) and that nghttp2 is an already - existing and well functional library. +libcurl uses this 3rd party library for the low level protocol handling +parts. The reason for this is that HTTP/2 is much more complex at that layer +than HTTP/1.1 (which we implement on our own) and that nghttp2 is an already +existing and well functional library. - We require at least version 1.0.0. +We require at least version 1.0.0. - Over an http:// URL +Over an http:// URL +------------------- - If CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION is set to CURL_HTTP_VERSION_2_0, libcurl will - include an upgrade header in the initial request to the host to allow - upgrading to http2. +If `CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION` is set to `CURL_HTTP_VERSION_2_0`, libcurl will +include an upgrade header in the initial request to the host to allow +upgrading to HTTP/2. - Possibly we can later introduce an option that will cause libcurl to fail if - not possible to upgrade. Possibly we introduce an option that makes libcurl - use http2 at once over http:// +Possibly we can later introduce an option that will cause libcurl to fail if +not possible to upgrade. Possibly we introduce an option that makes libcurl +use HTTP/2 at once over http:// - Over an https:// URL +Over an https:// URL +-------------------- - If CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION is set to CURL_HTTP_VERSION_2_0, libcurl will use - ALPN (or NPN) to negotiate which protocol to continue with. Possibly - introduce an option that will cause libcurl to fail if not possible to use - http2. Consider options to explicitly disable ALPN and/or NPN. +If `CURLOPT_HTTP_VERSION` is set to `CURL_HTTP_VERSION_2_0`, libcurl will use +ALPN (or NPN) to negotiate which protocol to continue with. Possibly introduce +an option that will cause libcurl to fail if not possible to use HTTP/2. +Consider options to explicitly disable ALPN and/or NPN. - ALPN is the TLS extension that http2 is expected to use. The NPN extension - is for a similar purpose, was made prior to ALPN and is used for SPDY so - early http2 servers are implemented using NPN before ALPN support is - widespread. +ALPN is the TLS extension that HTTP/2 is expected to use. The NPN extension is +for a similar purpose, was made prior to ALPN and is used for SPDY so early +HTTP/2 servers are implemented using NPN before ALPN support is widespread. SSL libs +-------- - The challenge is the ALPN and NPN support and all our different SSL - backends. You may need a fairly updated SSL library version for it to - provide the necessary TLS features. Right now we support: +The challenge is the ALPN and NPN support and all our different SSL +backends. You may need a fairly updated SSL library version for it to +provide the necessary TLS features. Right now we support: - OpenSSL: ALPN and NPN - NSS: ALPN and NPN - GnuTLS: ALPN - PolarSSL: ALPN + - OpenSSL: ALPN and NPN + - NSS: ALPN and NPN + - GnuTLS: ALPN + - PolarSSL: ALPN Multiplexing - - Starting in 7.43.0, libcurl fully supports HTTP/2 multiplexing, which is the - term for doing multiple independent transfers over the same physical TCP - connection. - - To take advantage of multiplexing, you need to use the multi interface and - set CURLMOPT_PIPELINING to CURLPIPE_MULTIPLEX. With that bit set, libcurl - will attempt to re-use existing HTTP/2 connections and just add a new stream - over that when doing subsequent parallel requests. - - While libcurl sets up a connection to a HTTP server there is a period during - which it doesn't know if it can pipeline or do multiplexing and if you add - new transfers in that period, libcurl will default to start new connections - for those transfers. With the new option CURLOPT_PIPEWAIT (added in 7.43.0), - you can ask that a transfer should rather wait and see in case there's a - connection for the same host in progress that might end up being possible to - multiplex on. It favours keeping the number of connections low to the cost - of slightly longer time to first byte transfered. +------------ + +Starting in 7.43.0, libcurl fully supports HTTP/2 multiplexing, which is the +term for doing multiple independent transfers over the same physical TCP +connection. + +To take advantage of multiplexing, you need to use the multi interface and set +`CURLMOPT_PIPELINING` to `CURLPIPE_MULTIPLEX`. With that bit set, libcurl will +attempt to re-use existing HTTP/2 connections and just add a new stream over +that when doing subsequent parallel requests. + +While libcurl sets up a connection to a HTTP server there is a period during +which it doesn't know if it can pipeline or do multiplexing and if you add new +transfers in that period, libcurl will default to start new connections for +those transfers. With the new option `CURLOPT_PIPEWAIT` (added in 7.43.0), you +can ask that a transfer should rather wait and see in case there's a +connection for the same host in progress that might end up being possible to +multiplex on. It favours keeping the number of connections low to the cost of +slightly longer time to first byte transfered. Applications +------------ - We hide http2's binary nature and convert received http2 traffic to headers - in HTTP 1.1 style. This allows applications to work unmodified. +We hide HTTP/2's binary nature and convert received HTTP/2 traffic to headers +in HTTP 1.1 style. This allows applications to work unmodified. curl tool +--------- - curl offers the --http2 command line option to enable use of http2 +curl offers the `--http2` command line option to enable use of HTTP/2 HTTP Alternative Services - - Alt-Svc is a suggested extension with a corresponding frame (ALTSVC) in - http2 that tells the client about an alternative "route" to the same content - for the same origin server that you get the response from. A browser or - long-living client can use that hint to create a new connection - asynchronously. For libcurl, we may introduce a way to bring such clues to - the applicaton and/or let a subsequent request use the alternate route - automatically. Spec: - http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-httpbis-alt-svc-05 - -TODO: +------------------------- + +Alt-Svc is a suggested extension with a corresponding frame (ALTSVC) in HTTP/2 +that tells the client about an alternative "route" to the same content for the +same origin server that you get the response from. A browser or long-living +client can use that hint to create a new connection asynchronously. For +libcurl, we may introduce a way to bring such clues to the applicaton and/or +let a subsequent request use the alternate route +automatically. [Spec](http://tools.ietf.org/html/draft-ietf-httpbis-alt-svc-05) + +TODO +---- - Provide API to set priorities / dependencies of individual streams |