> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.stablepoint.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# HTTP/2 Overview

HTTP/2 is a major revision of the HTTP protocol that makes websites load faster. All Stablepoint hosting supports HTTP/2 out of the box — there is nothing you need to enable.

## What HTTP/2 improves

* **Multiplexing** — multiple requests and responses share a single connection simultaneously, instead of queuing. This eliminates the head-of-line blocking problem of HTTP/1.1.
* **Header compression (HPACK)** — request and response headers are compressed, reducing overhead on every request.
* **Server push** — the server can proactively send resources the browser will need.
* **Binary protocol** — more efficient to parse than HTTP/1.1's text format.

The practical effect: pages with many resources (images, scripts, stylesheets) load noticeably faster, because they no longer wait in line for a limited number of connections.

## Requirements

Browsers only use HTTP/2 over **HTTPS**, so your site needs a valid SSL certificate. All Stablepoint plans include free SSL certificates, so this is already covered.

## Checking that your site uses HTTP/2

1. Open your site in Chrome or Firefox.
2. Open developer tools (F12) and go to the **Network** tab.
3. Right-click the column headers and enable the **Protocol** column.
4. Reload the page — resources served over HTTP/2 show **h2** in the protocol column.

Alternatively, use an online checker such as [https://tools.keycdn.com/http2-test](https://tools.keycdn.com/http2-test).

## Optimization notes

Some old HTTP/1.1 optimization techniques are unnecessary (or counterproductive) with HTTP/2:

* **Domain sharding** (spreading assets across multiple domains) — no longer needed; a single multiplexed connection is more efficient.
* **Image sprites and file concatenation** — less important; many small files are handled efficiently, and separate files cache more granularly.

Standard good practices — compression, caching headers, optimized images — still apply and complement HTTP/2 well.