HTTP Essentials: Protocols for Secure, Scaleable Web Sites
Get inside HTTP and learn to build bulletproof Web sites"This book is about what makes the Web tick. It explains the protocol that defines how Web browsers communicate with Web servers, the mechanisms that keep that communication secure from counterfeits and eavesdroppers, and the technologies that accelerate our Web experience."–from the IntroductionExpert Stephen Thomas brings you up to speed on all aspects of the Hypertext Transfer Protocol––its operation, message formats, security mechanisms, and acceleration techniques. He explains how HTTP has evolved and how new implementations maintain backward compatibility with old systems. Best of all, he shows you how to apply what you’ve learned to building scaleable, reliable, and secure Web site architectures.As you go through this book, you’ll be able to put into practice Thomas’s lessons on:How Web browsers, servers, proxies, and caches use HTTPThe structure and format of HTTP messages, including all headers and status codesHTTP authentication and other security technologies, including SSL, TLS, and SHTTPTechniques for accelerating HTTP–load balancing, layer 4 and layer 7 switching, caching, and multiplexingRelated technologies–from Proxy Auto Configuration (PAC) and Web Proxy Auto Discovery (WPAD) to important caching protocols including Web Cache Coordination Protocol (WCCP), Internet Cache Protocol (ICP), and HyperText Caching Protocol (HTCP)The evolution of HTTP and how to handle compatibility between HTTP versionsThe CD-ROM includes a searchable electronic edition of the text.