Networking
posts (13)
- The Layers of HTTP in the Browser: From fetch() to QUIC9/9
From fetch() to the First Byte
The whole lifecycle in one place: browser policies, cache, connection, wire format, headers and body. Only with that model does the Network panel answer…
- The Layers of HTTP in the Browser: From fetch() to QUIC8/9
HTTP/3 and QUIC: Same HTTP, Different Transport
QUIC removes transport-level head-of-line blocking and sets up a session more cheaply, but it does not fix the dependencies the frontend creates in its own…
- The Layers of HTTP in the Browser: From fetch() to QUIC7/9
HTTP/2: Multiplexing Changed the Frontend Network Model
The same HTTP semantics, a different wire format. Many parallel requests do not mean many sockets, and stream independence ends at TCP.
- The Layers of HTTP in the Browser: From fetch() to QUIC6/9
HTTP/1.1: Where Waterfalls and Bundling Came From
Bundling, sprite sheets and domain sharding were answers to the cost of many requests. Frontend architecture adapted itself to the limits of the protocol.
- The Layers of HTTP in the Browser: From fetch() to QUIC5/9
Connections: Why One fetch() Does Not Mean One Connection
A request and a connection have different lifecycles. The connection pool belongs to the browser, and the frontend influences it only through the architecture…
- series · 9 parts
The Layers of HTTP in the Browser: From fetch() to QUIC
Two lines of fetch() cover several layers: the browser API, HTTP semantics, the wire protocol and the transport. This series separates them so the Network…
- Realtime in the Browser: From Polling to WebTransport6/7
WebTransport: Streams and Datagrams for Realtime over HTTP/3
HTTP/3 and QUIC give a single session many independent streams plus datagrams. Not all data has to arrive reliably and in order.
- Realtime in the Browser: From Polling to WebTransport5/7
WebSockets: A Persistent Bidirectional Communication Channel
After the handshake there are no requests and responses left, only frames. A persistent connection is state, and it reaches the load balancer, the deploy and…
- Realtime in the Browser: From Polling to WebTransport4/7
Server-Sent Events: An Event Protocol over HTTP Streaming
A standard event format and reconnection on top of an HTTP stream. Last-Event-ID gives you resume, but it does not solve event durability in the system.
- Realtime in the Browser: From Polling to WebTransport3/7
HTTP Streaming: One Response, Many Chunks of Data
A response can be produced over time. A transport chunk is not a message, so framing and backpressure become the application's business.