Longform
HTTP Guides
Deep dives for developers who want practical understanding, not abstract definitions.
- performanceintermediate
API Rate Limiting: Algorithms, Headers and 429
Rate limit an HTTP API: fixed window, sliding window, token bucket and leaky bucket compared, plus 429, Retry-After, RateLimit headers, nginx and Express.
- fundamentalsintermediate
Content Negotiation: Accept, Languages and Caches
Implement HTTP content negotiation with Accept headers, q-values, Vary and 406 responses, with Express, Django and nginx examples and language SEO guidance.
- securityintermediate
Cookie Security: HttpOnly, SameSite, and Secure Flags
A comprehensive guide to understanding and implementing secure HTTP cookies to protect against XSS, CSRF, and session hijacking attacks.
- securityintermediate
Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS)
Master Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) for secure cross-origin HTTP requests. Learn preflight requests, headers, credentials, and common error solutions.
- authenticationintermediate
HTTP Authentication Methods and Best Practices
A comprehensive guide to HTTP authentication methods including Basic Auth, Bearer tokens, API keys, and OAuth 2.0.
- performanceintermediate
HTTP Compression: gzip, Brotli and Zstandard Setup
How HTTP compression works: Accept-Encoding negotiation, gzip vs Brotli vs zstd, nginx, Caddy, Express and Cloudflare config, BREACH, and measuring with curl.
- performanceintermediate
HTTP Headers and Caching: A Practical Guide
Master HTTP caching with Cache-Control, ETag, Last-Modified, and conditional request headers. Learn how to optimize performance with proper cache strategies.
- performanceintermediate
HTTP Range Requests: 206, Resume and Video Seeking
How HTTP range requests work: Range, Accept-Ranges, 206 and Content-Range, multipart/byteranges, 416, If-Range for safe resumes, and CDN and compression traps.
- securityintermediate
HTTP Security Headers Checklist: Values and Configs
Which HTTP security headers to send and which to drop: starting values for CSP, HSTS and more, with nginx, Apache, Express, Next.js and Cloudflare config.
- fundamentalsintermediate
HTTP Sessions and State Management Explained
Learn how to manage user state and sessions in stateless HTTP applications using cookies, tokens, and server-side storage.
- fundamentalsbeginner
HTTP Status Codes: Full List with Meanings
Every HTTP status code class from 1xx to 5xx with what each code means and when to return it, including the ones you meet most: 200, 301, 304, 404 and 500.
- performanceadvanced
HTTP/3 and QUIC Explained: Setup, Fallback, 0-RTT
How HTTP/3 and QUIC work: UDP/443, connection IDs, 0-RTT replay risk, Alt-Svc and HTTPS DNS record discovery, nginx/Caddy/Cloudflare setup, and curl checks.
- securityintermediate
HTTPS Explained: How TLS Secures HTTP
HTTPS is HTTP over TLS. What the TLS handshake does, how certificates prove identity, what HTTPS hides and what it does not, and how to migrate a site safely.
- fundamentalsbeginner
Request and Response Lifecycle
Learn how HTTP requests travel from browser to server and back. Understand DNS resolution, TCP connections, request/response flow, and the complete lifecycle.
- api designintermediate
REST API Design with HTTP Semantics
Choose HTTP methods and status codes for a REST API: 201, 202, 204, 400 vs 422, 409, ETag with If-Match, pagination, problem+json and idempotency keys.
- api designintermediate
Webhooks: Delivery, Retries and Signature Verification
Build a reliable webhook receiver: respond 2xx fast, verify HMAC over the raw body, reject replays, dedupe by event ID. Covers Stripe and GitHub.
- fundamentalsintermediate
WebSockets over HTTP: Handshakes, Proxies and Auth
Trace a WebSocket HTTP handshake, verify Sec-WebSocket-Accept, configure nginx, secure browser authentication, and debug idle disconnects and close codes.
- http basicsbeginner
What Is HTTP? How the HTTP Protocol Works
HTTP is the request-response protocol behind every web page and API. See a real request and response, then methods, headers, status codes and what HTTPS adds.
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