---
title: "HTTP/2"
description: "HTTP/2 is a major revision of the HTTP protocol that improves web performance through multiplexing, header compression, and server push, reducing page load times."
category: "Web Security & Infrastructure"
date: "2026-03-05"
url: "https://getbeast.io/glossary/http2/"
type: "glossary"
---

# HTTP/2

**Category:** Web Security & Infrastructure | **Updated:** 2026-03-05

HTTP/2 is a major revision of the HTTP protocol that improves web performance through multiplexing, header compression, and server push, reducing page load times.

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## What Is HTTP/2?
HTTP/2 is the second major version of the HTTP protocol, standardized in 2015. It introduces several performance improvements over HTTP/1.1: **multiplexing** (multiple requests over a single connection), **header compression** (HPACK), **stream prioritization**, and **server push**. It requires HTTPS in practice (all major browsers require TLS for HTTP/2).

## Why HTTP/2 Matters for SEO
HTTP/2 significantly improves page load speed by eliminating the need for performance workarounds like domain sharding, CSS sprites, and file concatenation. Faster page loads improve Core Web Vitals scores, user experience, and search rankings. Most modern web servers and CDNs support HTTP/2 by default.

## How to Enable HTTP/2
Ensure your server supports HTTP/2 (Nginx 1.9.5+, Apache 2.4.17+). Enable HTTPS (required for HTTP/2). Most CDNs enable HTTP/2 automatically. Verify HTTP/2 support using browser DevTools (Protocol column in Network tab) or online testing tools.

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## Related Terms

- [HTTP/3](/glossary/http3/)
- [SSL/TLS](/glossary/ssl-tls/)
- [Page Speed](/glossary/page-speed/)
- [CDN](/glossary/cdn/)
- [Server Response Time](/glossary/server-response-time/)


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*Part of the [GetBeast SEO Glossary](/glossary/). Visit [GetBeast.io](https://getbeast.io) for professional SEO and log analysis tools.*