Glossary
18 terms from "HTTP basics: reading requests and responses in the browser." Look them up when you get stuck; the first mention in the text carries a hover definition.
| Term | Definition | Source |
|---|---|---|
| HTTP | The Hypertext Transfer Protocol, an application-layer protocol for fetching resources such as HTML documents between a client and a server. | developer.mozilla.org |
| browser (client) | The user-agent program that sends HTTP requests to a server and renders the returned response into a web page. | developer.mozilla.org |
| server | A program or machine that listens for HTTP requests and sends back responses, often after processing the requested resource. | developer.mozilla.org |
| URL | Uniform Resource Locator; a web address that identifies a server and the resource to request from it. | developer.mozilla.org |
| HTTP request | A message sent by the client to the server asking it to perform an action on a resource. | rfc-editor.org |
| HTTP response | A message sent by the server back to the client after receiving a request, including a status code and often a body. | rfc-editor.org |
| HTTP method | A word in the request line that indicates the action the client wants the server to perform, such as GET or POST. | developer.mozilla.org |
| GET | The HTTP method that requests a representation of a resource; it should only retrieve data and not contain a body. | developer.mozilla.org |
| POST | The HTTP method that submits data to a server, often causing a change in state or side effects. | developer.mozilla.org |
| header | A line of metadata in an HTTP message that gives the recipient extra information about the request or response. | developer.mozilla.org |
| status code | A three-digit number in a response that indicates whether the request succeeded or failed and why. | developer.mozilla.org |
| 200 OK | A successful response status code indicating that the request succeeded and the response body contains the requested resource. | developer.mozilla.org |
| 404 Not Found | A client error status code indicating that the server cannot find the resource requested by the URL. | developer.mozilla.org |
| 500 Internal Server Error | A server error status code indicating that the server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request. | developer.mozilla.org |
| developer tools (DevTools) | A set of tools built into browsers for inspecting pages, including the Network panel that logs HTTP requests. | developer.chrome.com |
| Network panel | The panel in browser DevTools that records and displays every HTTP request made while the tools are open. | developer.chrome.com |
| subresource | A resource such as an image, stylesheet, or script that the browser requests after parsing the main HTML document. | developer.mozilla.org |
| waterfall | The timing visualization in the Network panel that shows when each request started and how long it took. | developer.chrome.com |