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HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is a foundational protocol used for transmitting data across the web. It operates on a client-server model, where clients (such as web browsers) request resources from servers, and servers respond with the requested data. HTTP is a stateless protocol, meaning each request from a client to a server is independent, with no memory of previous requests.

HTTP operates over TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) and typically uses port 80 for unencrypted communication and port 443 for secure communication via HTTPS (HTTP Secure). HTTPS encrypts data using SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) to ensure secure transmission.

HTTP/1.1 is the most widely used version, introducing features like persistent connections, chunked transfer encoding, and additional cache control mechanisms. HTTP/2, released in 2015, improves performance with multiplexing, header compression, and binary framing. HTTP/3, currently in development, aims to further enhance performance by using QUIC, a transport layer protocol that provides better congestion control and reduced latency.

HTTP methods, also known as verbs, define the action to be performed on a resource. Common methods include GET (retrieve data), POST (submit data to be processed), PUT (update a resource), DELETE (remove a resource), and HEAD (retrieve headers without the body).

HTTP status codes are three-digit numbers returned by a server to indicate the result of a client's request. They are categorized into five classes: 1xx (informational), 2xx (successful), 3xx (redirection), 4xx (client error), and 5xx (server error). For example, 200 OK indicates a successful request, 404 Not Found indicates that the requested resource could not be found, and 500 Internal Server Error indicates a server-side problem.

HTTP headers are used to pass additional information between the client and server. Common headers include Content-Type (specifies the media type of the resource), User-Agent (identifies the client software), and Cache-Control (directs caching mechanisms).