HTTP/2

[DivokyMuz]

I tried to find the answer with searching, but could not find the answer i need Perhaps it is a silly question, but i´m not so deep in the technics of http, to find the solution by myself.

Is Xenforo 2.1.x http/2 ready ? Can we offer this http/2 service on the server for our users ?

 

[fly]

All that happens lower in the stack. I don't think that xF has any idea what HTTP/2 is. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that every single Layer 7 application, like xF, will work with it.

edit: I'm wrong. See my updated response below.

 

[djbaxter]

I don't think that xF has any idea what HTTP/2 is.

That seems unfair to me. I'm fairly certain they know about it but why provide built-in solutions for something their user base doesn't want or need?

I know what http/2 is. Do I care? No not a whole lot.

I think you'll find that most hosting services don't even support it yet so if you want it and you have a dedicated server you'll have to install and maintain it yourself.

Do current browsers even support it? I have no idea. What about mobile browsers and mobile providers?

 

[fly]

All that happens lower in the stack. I don't think that xF has any idea what HTTP/2 is. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that every single Layer 7 application, like xF, will work with it.

I guess I hadn't had enough coffee yet, so let me correct myself. It's HTTP, so of course it's at OSI Layer 7. But since xF sits on top of the network stack, I don't think it would matter.

 

[bzcomputers]

Yes, Xenforo will take advantage of HTTP/2 protocol if installed on the server.

The screenshot below is from my dedicated server running Apache mod_http2 module with XenForo 2.1 installed. All references to h2 & http/2 refer to using the http/2 transport protocol.

 

[MySiteGuy]

That screenshot is simply the connection information between the browser and the web server, nothing to do with XF. XF is not taking advantage of HTTP2, nor does it care what protocol is used be it HTTP1, 1.2, 2.0, etc. Even a plain html or text file gets handled via HTTP2. XF "could" set HTTP headers to help with HTTP2 server push, but it's still the web server software which handles that.

HTTP2 is widely adopted by browsers and has been for a few years. It's so common that checking for an HTTP1 or HTTP1.1 connection is one of the ranking flags I use to help determine some stealth bots from humans.

If you have a high percentage of mobile users, and chances are you do, having HTTP2 (along with Brotli compression) is a something well worth considering.

 

[Snog]

For those interested, there are browser plugins available to tell you if a site (server) is serving it's pages by HTTP2...

Firefox:

HTTP Version Indicator – Get this Extension for 🦊 Firefox (en-GB)

Download HTTP Version Indicator for Firefox. An indicator showing the HTTP version used to load the page in the address bar.

addons.mozilla.org

Chrome:

HTTP/2 and SPDY indicator

An indicator button for HTTP/2, SPDY and QUIC support by each website.

chrome.google.com

 

[motowebmaster]

I've been running http/2+SSL for at least two years. Other than handling SSL requirements XF doesn't know.

It made a significant positive impact for me. I'm also QUIC and Brotoli enabled for the browsers that can use it.

My community likes it's girls, beer, chrome, bbq, and motorcycles; but flashing all of that content, even in highly-optimized images, is still a chatty experience on my site without http/2. Most of my users are on good connections at home, but mobile adoption has increased dramatically.

Hope this helps,

 

[Silmarillion]

I can activate HTTP / 2 under Cloudflare. But what do I have to consider with regard to XF2? I am almost certain that this will not work that easily and that I have to make appropriate changes, right? ^^ I would be delighted if members who have already gained experience with it would speak up here. (HTTP/3 with QUIC is enabled)

 

[motowebmaster]

I can activate HTTP / 2 under Cloudflare. But what do I have to consider with regard to XF2? I am almost certain that this will not work that easily and that I have to make appropriate changes, right? ^^ I would be delighted if members who have already gained experience with it would speak up here. (HTTP/3 with QUIC is enabled)

If you are already running SSL then you should be able to utilize HTTP/2, but my experience with Cloudflare is limited.

Below is a URL that you can use to check your site if you decide to try HTTP/3 w/QUIC:

HTTP/3 Check

Is my site using HTTP3? Check HTTP3 service on any URL. Test QUIC service, too.

http3check.net

 

[Chromaniac]

from my understanding, you don't need to make any changes to xenforo to enable http/2 on cloudflare. it is a server side thing and cloudflare takes care of it. same goes for practically any other tech that cloudflare offers like dnssec or minimizing code content. i believe http/3 is also enabled by default on all cloudflare accounts just like esni/tls ech.

just checked. HTTP/2 is enabled by default and seems like a locked setting at least on free accounts. http/3 is optional.