HTTP Pocket Reference - Softcover

Wong, Clinton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1565928628 ISBN 13: 9781565928626

Publisher: O'Reilly Media, 2000

Synopsis

The HyperText Transfer Protocol, or HTTP, is the backbone of the World Wide Web. HTTP is the language that each web browser (or other web client) uses to communicate with servers around the world. All web programmers, administrators, and application developers need to be familiar with HTTP in order to work effectively.The HTTP Pocket Reference not only provides a solid conceptual foundation of HTTP, it also serves as a quick reference to each of the headers and status codes that comprise an HTTP transaction. The book starts with a tutorial of HTTP, but then explains the client request and server responses in more detail, and gives a thorough technical explanation of more advanced features of HTTP (such as persistent connections and caching).Most people use the Web every day without knowing anything about HTTP, but for those who need to get "beyond the browser," this book is the place to start.

About this title

Review

Don't confuse HTTP with HTML. HyperText Transfer Protocol refers to the underlying mechanism. This is a reference for Web server administrators and site developers--not page coders.

The book describes the way HTTP works. You'll find extensive listings for headers--which covers cache control directives and such like--server response codes, client methods, referring documents, media types, cookies and similar arcana. It's a book for those who need to talk to Web servers, not just get pages from them. It describes the mechanics of get and post, how to understand server responses and troubleshoot problems.

Perhaps the most useful aspect of the HTTP Pocket Reference are the HTTP transaction dumps which show the kind of information returned, its format and the limits on what you can and can't discover. The amount of HTTP information available is an eye opener. There's nothing in the HTTP Pocket Reference you can't find in the RFCs and other--thicker--books, but here it's presented for those on the front line who just want it to work--right now. --Steve Patient

Review

For such a thin book, it manages to cram technical facts, dumps of HTTP transactions, many diagrams and tables . -- Apache Week

For those that want to understand what goes on underneath the hood, this book is an excellent reference. -- Doug Larson, San Diego Mac Users Group, August 2001

It provides coverage that will help you become familiar enough with the protocol without having to wade through the depth of the related RFCs. -- Dan Hunks, Provo LUG, July 2002

Edition details

• Publisher: O'Reilly Media
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 1565928628
• ISBN 13: 9781565928626
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 80