Why upgrade from HTTP/1.1 to HTTP/2 proxying?
HTTP/1.1 has been the go-to protocol for many decades. It is still widely used, but with the rate at which sites now load multiple resources per page, its limits start to show. Many have probably noticed HTTP/1.1 struggling to keep up, juggling limited connections and slowing things down.
That is why we have pushed HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 to production on our residential network, all at no cost. You might have some questions: Does it actually matter, and is it necessary to upgrade? We’ve answered it all.
How big a difference can HTTP/2 make?
HTTP/1.1 has served its purpose, but it is time for something better. HTTP/2 brings in the advantage of multiplexing. Instead of opening separate connections for each request, HTTP/2 can handle multiple requests through a single connection.
As a result, there are fewer limits from the browser, less waiting, and faster load times. To show the difference clearly, we ran a simple test on a site loading 300 resources.
The results speak for themselves. With HTTP/2, the page loaded almost four times faster than HTTP/1.1, and very close to the baseline speed with no proxy at all.
- No proxy: ~200 ms
- HTTP/2 proxying: ~400 ms
- HTTP/1.1 proxying: ~1,400 ms
This makes a significant difference in real-world usage scenarios. Regardless of how many resources a site loads, HTTP/2 ensures reduced delays and reliable performance.
What benefits does HTTP/2 bring?
Speed is not the only upgrade. By running over HTTPS, your data is encrypted to the proxy server - as well as to the target server as it previously was - wrapping your data in an extra layer of security. At the same time, HTTPS enables ALPN, which allows your client to automatically upgrade to HTTP/2.
This might sound complex, but rest assured, it is very easy to use. You do not need extra setup. Just set your scheme to https.
Your client handles the rest. If HTTP/2 cannot be used, it falls back to HTTP/1.1 without making things slower. That makes it a free performance upgrade with no downside.
What about HTTP/3?
HTTP/3 offers even greater improvement than HTTP/2. However, the catch is that it's new and a bit harder to implement.
We are happy to say that we’re among the first proxy providers to support HTTP/3. For now, HTTP/3 remains in beta while we continue testing. Over the next few months, we will also bring it into production.
Curious about the full story behind HTTP/2 and HTTP/3? We covered it in depth here: Announcing HTTP/2 and HTTP/3 Residential Network Support.
