HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol, the universal application protocol that allows computer users to connect with the Internet via remote servers. HTTP was created along with HTML in the early days of the World Wide Web as the first text-based, interactive web browsing tool; it remains the primary means of retrieving resources and returning them to a user computer. Because HTTP is a core protocol for running and managing server requests, front end developers need to understand how it works to get the best performance from their websites and pages. Front end developers might also need to work with the back end development team to resolve problems with data flow between user devices and remote servers.