# bagder/http2-explained

A detailed document explaining and documenting HTTP/2, the successor to the widely popular HTTP/1.1 protocol

Repository: https://github.com/bagder/http2-explained
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/http2-explained
Homepage: https://daniel.haxx.se/http2/
Language: CSS
License Family: other
Topics: http2, book, documentation, protocol
Last push: 2024-04-13T11:46:44+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 32/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 35, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4513, "days_push": 872, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: no_releases, no_license
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2309, forks 274 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:35.992855+00:00)

## What it is
A free, Creative Commons-licensed book by Daniel Stenberg that explains the HTTP/2 protocol (RFC 7540) at a technical level, covering its background, concepts, implementations, and future. It is a living document available in PDF and web form, translated into many languages.

## Use cases
- learn how the HTTP/2 protocol works
- understand differences between HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2
- study HTTP/2 framing, multiplexing, and HPACK
- find reference material on HTTP/2 implementations
- get a free HTTP/2 book in multiple languages
- prepare for web performance work involving HTTP/2

## When to choose
- you want a concise, authoritative, free introduction to HTTP/2
- you need protocol-level detail rather than a tutorial
- you prefer reading in one of the many translated languages
- you want sample network captures to inspect with Wireshark

## When to avoid
- you need HTTP/3 or QUIC details (see HTTP/3 Explained instead)
- you want hands-on code or a library to implement HTTP/2
- you need an up-to-date, actively revised reference for the latest protocol developments

## Facets
- artifact type: learning-resource
- maturity: maintenance
- function: documentation, markdown
- domain: networking, web-development, documentation, tutorials
- platform: cross-platform
- tags: http2, book, protocol-explainer, creative-commons, pdf, translations, web-server

## Member repositories
- bagder/http2-explained (main) score 32

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:35.992855+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:39:34.885620+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/bagder/http2-explained (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:35.992855+00:00, sha f9515e3c2a56)
  - homepage: https://daniel.haxx.se/http2/ (fetched 2026-08-29T10:19:42.537892+00:00, sha 41e2b65eaded)
  - site_page: https://daniel.haxx.se/http2/faq.html (fetched 2026-08-29T10:19:42.546818+00:00, sha 8faf8a0e3d48)
  - site_page: https://daniel.haxx.se/http2/changelog.html (fetched 2026-08-29T10:19:42.548546+00:00, sha 9ce008ab2740)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.