HTTP(S)
Meaning:
HTTP stands for Hypertext Transfer Protocol and is a client-server protocol that allows communication between a client and web server. Requests are similar to a standard TCP network request, however HTTP adds specific headers to identify the protocol and other information.
When a HTTP request is crafted the method –> how to retreive and target header –> what to retrieve will always be included.
When retrieving information from a web server, it is common to use the GET method, such as loading a picture.
When sending data to a web server, it is common to use the POST method, such as sending login information.
Example Request:
GET / HTTP/1.1
Host: tryhackme.com
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 Firefox/87.0
Referer: https://tryhackme.com/
The status code tells the client browser how the web server interpreted the request. Most common success status code is HTTP 200 OK .
Example Response:
HTTP/1.1 200 OK
Server: nginx/1.15.8
Date: Wednesday, 24 Nov 2021 13:34:03 GMT
Content-Type: text/html
Content-Length: 98
<html>
<head>
<title>Advent of Cyber</title>
</head>
<body>
Welcome To Advent of Cyber!
</body>
</html>
The protocol itself is only a small part, once it is retrieved from the web server, your browser needs a way to interpret and render the information sent. Web applications are commonly formatted in HTML (HyperText Markup Language), rendered, and styled in CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). JavaScript is also commonly used to provide additional functionality.