HTTP Compression
HTTP Compression is a technique used to reduce the size of HTTP responses (such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and JSON) transmitted between a web server and a client (e.g., a browser). It works by compressing data on the server before sending it and decompressing it on the client, significantly improving page load times and reducing bandwidth usage. Common compression algorithms include Gzip, Brotli, and Deflate, which are negotiated via HTTP headers like Accept-Encoding and Content-Encoding.
Developers should implement HTTP Compression to optimize web performance, especially for content-heavy sites or applications where large files are served, as it can reduce transfer sizes by 50-80%. It's essential for improving user experience through faster load times, reducing server costs by lowering bandwidth consumption, and supporting SEO rankings since page speed is a ranking factor. Use cases include serving static assets, API responses, and dynamic content in web applications.