HTTP/2 is a major update to the protocol that governs how browsers and servers communicate, built to make websites load meaningfully faster than the older HTTP/1.1 standard it replaced, by handling multiple requests far more efficiently.
Key Improvements Over HTTP/1.1
- Multiplexing — multiple files can be requested simultaneously over a single connection
- Header compression — reduces the overhead sent with every single request
- Server push — allows a server to proactively send resources before they're even explicitly requested
- Improved prioritization — critical resources can be loaded first
Why This Improves Real-World Site Speed
Under the older HTTP/1.1, browsers could only handle a limited number of simultaneous requests per connection — a real bottleneck for pages loading many separate images, scripts, and stylesheets. HTTP/2's multiplexing removes much of that bottleneck, letting far more resources load in parallel.
Enabling HTTP/2
Most modern hosting providers now enable HTTP/2 by default, generally requiring nothing more from the site owner than having a working SSL certificate installed, since HTTP/2 is built specifically to run over HTTPS connections. It's worth confirming with a hosting provider that it's genuinely turned on, since older hosting setups sometimes still default to HTTP/1.1.
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